| Abstract: | Plastics in solid wastes is a problem of growing concern. Recycling of wastes is currently believed to be the most acceptable form of disposal in the long run; however, this route is known to be especially difficult for plastics. Recycling would be easier if the various generic types present in solid wastes, mainly polyethylene, polystyrene and poly (vinyl chloride), could be isolated; however, this would be very difficult and expensive. This is a first report on research aimed at evaluating the potential of recycling plastics as a polymer blend of the various generic types. This approach suffers from the difficulty that the different plastics are incompatible and the blend has poor mechanical properties. The extent of this problem is documented with data on many ternary blends employing virgin polyethylene, polystyrene and poly (vinyl chloride) of numerous grades likely to be found in solid wastes. Property degradation was found to be more severe as the complexity of the blend increased, indicating that general municipal wastes could be reused only in very low grade applications, whereas certain commercial wastes might have brighter prospects. Strategies for improving blend properties are outlined. |
