Post-consumer PET recycling: evaluation of the degradation in the presence of contaminants

• Grant number: 13/21272-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2014
• End date: July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Andrea Cruz
• Grantee: Sandra Andrea Cruz
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recently, the use of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in the packaging market has contributed to rapid disposal to maximize their participation in the composition of municipal solid waste. The recycling of this polymer is consolidating in Brazil but the presence of contaminants in degradatives processes, as well as the steps of recycling, the decontamination of the material still need further studies. However, the use of recycled material for food contact is restricted by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agencia Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA), due to possible contaminant migration processes the recycled material for food. The use of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films has shown promise to decrease the recycled polymer contaminants migration for food. Thus, in this project, firstly we studied the use of different chemical structures of amorphous carbon film (diamond like carbon and like polymer) as a functional barrier, which were deposited on the contaminated polymer surface by plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). The functional barrier was evaluated by specific migration test using gas chromatography. In a later step, which will be further developed, the aim is to study the influence of the presence of contaminants in the degradation of PET during the recycling process. For this, the previously contaminated material will be recovered and reprocessed subjected to the solid state polymerization process. The degradation is evaluated in each of these stages by differential scanning calorimetry techniques, oxidation induction time, thermogravimetric analysis, intrinsic viscosity, melt flow index and parallel plate rheometry. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FITARONI, LAYS B.; DE OLIVEIRA, EDER C.; MARCOMINI, ANDRE L.; PARANHOS, CAIO M.; FREITAS, FLAVIA L.; CRUZ, SANDRA A.. Reprocessing and Solid State Polymerization on Contaminated Post-consumer PET: Thermal and Crystallization Behavior. JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT, OCT 2019. (13/21272-9)

SILVA FREITAS, FLAVIA LETICIA; CHINELLATO, ANNE CRISTINE; CRUZ, SANDRA ANDREA. Molar Mass Alteration During Post-Consumer PET Recycling Using Polycarbodiimide-Based Additive. JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT, v. 29, n. 3, p. 734-744, MAR 2021. (13/21272-9)

SILVA FREITAS, FLAVIA LETICIA; CHINELLATO, ANNE CRISTINE; PEREIRA FILHO, EDENIR RODRIGUES; CRUZ, SANDRA ANDREA. Evaluation of the effect of additives on thermo-oxidative and hydrolytic stabilization of recycled post-consumer poly (ethylene terephthalate) using Design of Experiments. Polymer Testing, v. 81, JAN 2020. (13/21272-9)

FITARONI, LAYS B.; DE OLIVEIRA, EDER C.; MARCOMINI, ANDRE L.; PARANHOS, CAIO M.; FREITAS, FLAVIA L.; CRUZ, SANDRA A.. Reprocessing and Solid State Polymerization on Contaminated Post-consumer PET: Thermal and Crystallization Behavior. JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT, v. 28, n. 1, p. 9-pg., 2019-10-24. (13/21272-9)