Scoggins, C A; Tomlins, P E; Bevis, M J* (1998) The effects of copper contamination on the properties of high density polyethylene. NPL Report. CMMT(A)138

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Abstract

It is a widely held belief that contamination of recycled thennoplastics presents a major barrier to their use for many applications. Loss of material perfonnance and high costs associated with contamination removal are often cited as reasons against using recyclates. Common ontaminants include paint flakes, immiscible polymers, oil, dirt and metal fragments picked up during the service life of a plastic part. This report presents results obtained from mechanical tests on high density polyethylene doped with known concentrations of metallic fragments, in this case copper; a common contaminant found in plastics recovered from applications in the electronic and automotive industries. Results show that properties such as Young's modulus, strain to failure, melt flow index, and impact energies are largely unaffected by copper contamination up to concentrations of 5 wt%, except at very low temperatures. This work highlights the possibility that recycled thermoplastics could be suited to a variety of applications without having to undergo costly cleaning processes, thus increasing profitability through infonned use of these materials compared to virgin plastics.

Item Type:	Report/Guide (NPL Report)
NPL Report No.:	CMMT(A)138
Subjects:	Advanced Materials Advanced Materials > Polymers
Last Modified:	10 Sep 2018 14:02
URI:	http://eprintspublications.npl.co.uk/id/eprint/1037

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