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. 2024 Apr 12;16(8):1079.
doi: 10.3390/polym16081079.

Recycling Polyethylene/Polyamide Multilayer Films with Poly(isoprene- g-Maleic Anhydride) Compatibilizer

Andreia Romeiro  1 , Cidália Teixeira  2 , Henrique Costa  3 , Jorge F J Coelho  1 , Arménio C Serra  1
Affiliations

Recycling Polyethylene/Polyamide Multilayer Films with Poly(isoprene- g-Maleic Anhydride) Compatibilizer

Andreia Romeiro et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Polymers generally form incompatible mixtures that make the process of recycling difficult, especially the mechanical recycling of mixed plastic waste. One of the most commonly used films in the packaging industry is multilayer films, mainly composed of polyethylene (PE) and polyamide (PA). Recycling these materials with such different molecular structures requires the use of compatibilizers to minimize phase separation and obtain more useful recycled materials. In this work, commercial polyisoprene-graft-maleic anhydride (PI-g-MA) was tested as a compatibilizer for a blend of PE and PA derived from the mechanical recycling of PE/PA multilayer films. Different amounts of PI-g-MA were tested, and the films made with 1.5% PI-g-MA showed the best results in terms of mechanical properties and dart impact. The films were also characterized thermally via thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and morphologically using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Other parameters, such as tearing and perforation, were analyzed.

Keywords: compatibilization; monolayer film; polyamide; polyethylene; polyisoprene–graft–maleic anhydride; polymer recycling.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interest or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TGA thermograms of samples: (a) weight vs. temperature and (b) weight derivate vs. temperature.
Figure 2
Figure 2
DSC thermogram of first cooling flux of films with different percentages of PI-g-MA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
DSC thermogram of second heat flux of films with different percentages of PI-g-MA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
ATR-IR spectra of films of (PE/PA)rec with different percentages of PI-g-MA and only PI-g-MA.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ATR-IR spectra of pellets of (PE/PA)rec with different percentages of PI-g-MA and insert ATR-IR spectra of the film (two processings) and pellets (one processing) of a sample with 6%PI-g-MA.
Figure 6
Figure 6
SEM micrographs of the cryofracture surface of the (PE/PA)rec with different percentages of PI-g-MA.
Figure 6
Figure 6
SEM micrographs of the cryofracture surface of the (PE/PA)rec with different percentages of PI-g-MA.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Elongation at break and tensile strength of the films.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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