SPE Library

The SPE Library contains thousands of papers, presentations, journal briefs and recorded webinars from the best minds in the Plastics Industry. Spanning almost two decades, this collection of published research and development work in polymer science and plastics technology is a wealth of knowledge and information for anyone involved in plastics.

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Recycling

Various topics related to sustainability in plastics, including bio-related, environmental issues, green, recycling, renewal, re-use and sustainability.

Model Validation for Composite Railroad Ties Using Micro-Mechanics Modelling and Experimental Four-Point Bend Testing Made from Recycled Polyolefins

Daniel Pulipati, February 2018

Sustainability Metrics and Characterization - Presentation: The purpose of this research is to model the deflection behavior of railroad ties fabricated from recycled polyolefin post-consumer/post-industrial waste composed of HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene) and PP/FG (Poly Propylene/Fiber Glass). A technical challenge in predicting the final part performance is a limited understanding of the impact of microstructural variations due to processing variability on the final produced part's spatially varying material properties. The ties fabricated using extrusion molding techniques have a solid shell region on the outer surface and an inner foamed core. The foamed core region has cells of differing dimensions and the resulting effective material properties will vary as a function of the cell size and density. The shell and the foamed core regions are an alyzed using micromechanics models for the prediction of the stiffness. The stiffness of the foamed core is calculated using the Monte Carlo method to investigate the macroscopic sensitivity to microstructural variations. The elastic moduli obtained from micromechanics is used for the shell and foam regions in a Finite Element model, and the computational results are compared to those obtained from experimental four point bend test results with a difference between the model and experiment being less than 2% for the predicted effective stiffness.

Multivariable Regression of Recycled HDPE

Greg Curtzwiler, February 2018

Sustainability Metrics and Characterization - Paper: Polyethylene has been adopted for a variety of industrial, agricultural, and packaging applications with an estimated market of $164 billion and a projected global demand growth of 4% through 2018. The pressure for landfill diversion strategies have increased with cons umer awareness of traditional end-of-life practices. Regulatory bodies have instituted minimum post-consumer recycled ( PCR ) content laws to increase the long-term sustainability efforts of polymer use in commodity goods (e.g., SB 270 in California); thus, the ability to empirically quantify the post-consumer recycled content is vital for compliance. A stepwise multivariable regression approach was employed to develop a n equation capable of empirically determining the post-consumer recycled content from a va riety of certification markers. The empirical equation determined the post-consumer content of unknown film samples within ~10 wt% of the true value.

Multivariable Regression of Recycled HDPE

Greg Curtzwiler, February 2018

Sustainability Metrics and Characterization - Presentation: Polyethylene has been adopted for a variety of industrial, agricultural, and packaging applications with an estimated market of $164 billion and a projected global demand growth of 4% through 2018. The pressure for landfill diversion strategies have increased with cons umer awareness of traditional end-of-life practices. Regulatory bodies have instituted minimum post-consumer recycled ( PCR ) content laws to increase the long-term sustainability efforts of polymer use in commodity goods (e.g., SB 270 in California); thus, the ability to empirically quantify the post-consumer recycled content is vital for compliance. A stepwise multivariable regression approach was employed to develop a n equation capable of empirically determining the post-consumer recycled content from a va riety of certification markers. The empirical equation determined the post-consumer content of unknown film samples within ~10 wt% of the true value.

High-modulus biocomposites based on short wood fibers and acrylic resin

Klaus Friedrich, Emmanuel Akpan , Bernd Wetzel, January 2018

Replacing natural fiber mats with short wood fibers in acrylic resin biocomposites reduces the associated production cost and cycle time.

Enhancing the processability of plastics using carbon dioxide and water

Claudia Staudt, Alan J. Lesser, Silas Owusu-Nkwantabisah, November 2017

The synergy obtained by combining supercritical carbon dioxide and superheated water enables polyethersulfone to be processed at significantly lower temperatures than in conventional processes.

Real-time viscosity monitoring during graft copolymerization of gelatinized starch

Leon P. B. M. Janssen, Erik Heeres, Inge-Willem Noordergraaf , Judy R. Witono, October 2017

A combined stirrer-torque meter provides a novel and effective way to obtain continuous, in-line measurements of reaction mixtures.

Agricultural waste can replace wood in plastic composites

Israel Kellersztein , Ana Dotan, October 2017

Waste wheat straw can be treated for use as an environmentally sustainable reinforcement in composite materials, with performance equal or better than wood-polymer composites.

Creep-recovery behavior of novel polyurethane/carbon nanotube composites

Hamed Nazarpour-Fard , Ramin Shamsi, Reza Sheibani, October 2017

Dynamic mechanical analysis and three well-known models were used to investigate the mechanical properties of samples synthesized from recycled poly-ethylene terephthalate.

SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division October 2017 Newsletter

SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division, October 2017

Read the latest issue of the SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division newsletter.

SPE Sustainability Division 4th Quarter 2017 Newsletter

SPE Sustainability Division, October 2017

Read the latest issue of the SPE Sustainability Division newsletter.

Industrial-scale preparation of nanocellulose-reinforced biocomposites

Keikhosro Karimi, Tayebeh Behzad, Pejman Heidarian , Mohini Sain, August 2017

A novel method is used to fabricate recycled polylactic acid/cellulose nanofiber composites and to improve the overall properties of the biofilms.

Polymethylolacrylamide films for antibacterial and biowaste management applications

Lidia Kolzunova, August 2017

A novel electrosynthesis method is quicker and safer than conventional approaches, and allows the practical uses of the products to be broadened.

Fabricating nature-inspired self-healing polymers

Eugenio Amendola, Antonello Pastore, Stefania Dello Iacono, Alfonso Martone, July 2017

A thermo-reversible self-healing epoxy resin based on Diels-Alder chemistry is synthesized and strength-tested as part of a fiber-reinforced composite material.

Novel bionanocomposite systems for packaging applications

Fanismita Mohanty, Niladri Sarkar, Gyanaranjan Sahoo, Sarat Kumar Swain, July 2017

Incorporating silicon carbide and calcium carbonate nanofillers into soy protein and starch, respectively, improves the thermal, mechanical, and chemical-resistance properties of the samples.

SPE Sustainability Division 3rd Quarter 2017 Newsletter

SPE Sustainability Division, July 2017

Read the latest issue of the SPE Sustainability Division newsletter.

ReFocus 2017 - Recycling Strategy Session I - Unconventionl Fillers in Plastics Applications.pdf

Chris Surbrook, June 2017

Use of unconventional filler materials as a recycling strategy for sustainable manufacturing practices is in its infancy of adoption into commercial applications. The hope is to displace conventional fillers while improving on raw materials utilization. Materials that I will discuss focus on recycled unconventional fillers and include: Sawdust, Paint Waste, Paper Powder, Crumb Rubber

A novel high-performance biobased polyamide

Tingting Yang, Yong He, Fredrick Nzioka Mutua , Yuanbo Gao, June 2017

Poly(pentamethylene oxamide) exhibits excellent mechanical, thermal, and water absorption properties, and is suitable for the fabrication of plastics, as well as parts in the automobile and electronics industries.

Improved filler-matrix interfaces in environmentally friendly polymeric composites

Alessia Quitadamo, Marco Valente, June 2017

Wood-plastic composites can be optimized with the addition of waste paper fibers, coupling agents, and bioderived polymers.

Developing greener composites from cellulose nanocrystals and biopolyurethane

Aiga Ivdre, Ugis Cabulis, Mirta Ines Aranguren, Juan Manuel Buffa, Pablo Marcelo Stefani, Veronica Mucci, June 2017

Environmentally friendly nanocomposite materials from bio-based polyurethane and cellulose nanocrystals show significantly improved mechanical properties with only 1 nanocrystal filler.

Improving the mechanical properties of fatty acid starch esters

Hero Jan Heeres, Francesco Picchioni, Asaf Sugih, Henky Muljana, May 2017

The novel use of sago starch and vinyl laurate in densified carbon dioxide increases the reactivity of esterification and produces final products that have higher degrees of substitution.