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.

Thermoforming of Biodegradable Sheets Obtained from a Thermoplastic Starch and Polylactic Acid Blend

Elkin D. Cardona, Maria Noriega, May 2014

This paper describes the blending and the thermoforming performance of a thermoplastic starch (TPS) and polylactic acid (PLA) compound. A twin screw extruder (TSE) was used for corn starch plasticizing and blending with the plasticized PLA. A single screw extruder was used to melt, functionalize and feed the plasticized PLA into the TSE. Extruded pellets were used to make sheets through extrusion calendering, which were ultimately thermoformed in a parallelepiped shape. Thermoformability of the sheets was evaluated by the area ratio, the maximum uniaxial deformation, and the thickness measurement in the machine direction (MD) and transversal direction (TD). The operating window was defined using DMA techniques. The compound showed good thermoformability characteristics.

Thermoplastic Starch: The Prepation Method

Camila Fernanda D. Oliveira, Ticiane S. Valera, Nicole Demarquette, Natalia N. Fidalgo, May 2014

This work presents a systematic study about thermoplastic starches. Corn starch was mixed with 2 and 4 wt.% of carboxylic acid and 20 to 30 wt.% of water. The samples were prepared in an internal mixer coupled to a torque rheometer, and the torque values were monitored during mixing. The specimens for mechanical tests were calendered and cut with a knife. The mixtures were characterized by mechanical testing (tensile strength), scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The torque curves indicated that the samples with and without adipic acid addition suffer retrogradation. When the water content is increased, the glass transition temperature values decrease because water acts as a plasticizer for starch. The mechanical test results showed that samples with 2 wt.% acid content present the highest values of elastic modulus and tensile strength, and the lowest values of elongation at rupture.

Thickness Measurement Methods Aiding Lightweighting of PET Bottles

Masoud Allahkarami, Reaj U. Ahmed, Sudheer Bandla, Jay C. Hanan, May 2014

The aim of lightweighting PET bottles is to reduce waste in material use by optimizing the design and manufacture process. Efficient lightweighting development requires adapting robust techniques for thickness measurements. Knowledge of the final thickness distribution at different locations of the bottle is essential for identifying critical locations that could be modified in the preform or mold. X-ray tomography, IR-based thickness measurements, and Hall Effect techniques have been demonstrated as nondestructive tools for thickness measurement. Some methods are slow or expensive. Here, a low cost method for thickness measurement of PET bottles based on cross section measurement also was demonstrated using an optical scanner.

Trends in Failure of Synthetic Polymers and Human Biopolymers

Myer Ezrin, May 2014

Some trends in failure are due to errors of design or bad judgment (plastics) or unwise life conditions (human biopolymers). An encouraging trend for human biopolymers is synthetic polymers designed as replacements for damaged biopolymers (electrical polymers for nerves, and targeted drug delivery). Environmental, recycling and health effects on failure are a strong recent trend in polymer failure. Examples are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate plasticizers, both limited by bans for health reasons. PVC is also attacked for health reasons. Even if a plastic is very worthy, inexpensive and was accepted for years, it may be considered for banning (PE thin bags).

Using Zemac® Copolymers to Upgrade Virgin Nylon Performance

Ashok M. Adur, Prasad Taranekar, May 2014

Nylon is widely used in many applications. At the 2013 ANTEC, our paper covered the results obtained with compounding primarily recycled nylon with the addition of small quantities of alternating copolymers of ethylene and maleic anhydride and specific property improvements for applications in injection molded compounds. The resulting compounds have performance that can match or exceed prime virgin nylon at 30-50% cost savings. This current paper will cover the unique chemistry of alternating copolymers of ethylene and maleic anhydride to provide several advantages for upgrading prime or virgin nylon. For example, this paper will cover results of increasing relative viscosity and the advantages that brings to various applications. Another set of results will cover the unique improvements obtained in impact-modified nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 by reducing the negative impact of traditional impact modifiers by offering synergistic set of properties.

Why You Should Consider a Contour Printed Package

Todd Shepherd, May 2014

Contour Print aka distortion printing or preprint is nothing new to the thermoforming industry. We believe every innovative thermoformer has tried registering print at one time or another. What’s different about Contour Print is how it came about and why we think it will become a preferred package for brands, consumers and recyclers. Contour print was developed after attending PackEx, Sustainability/LCA, Product Design & other packaging conferences. Contour print takes into consideration the needs of all parties involved in consumer packaging: brand owners, retailers, consumers, recyclers and converters. By taking prominent recycled material like RPET, standard roll fed thermoforming equipment and adding the distorted printing you get a consumer friendly pack that’s easy to recycle. With public concerns for recycling and consumer confusion, using one material for the entire package greatly reduces this problem. Contour Print also reduces weight by replacing flat printed components with printing that is applied directly to the formed plastic package.

Natural oils improve interfacial adhesion between wood flour and matrix

Ruth Marlene Campomanes Santana, Ademir Jose Zattera, Matheus Poletto, April 2014

The boiling temperature and chain length of natural oils used as coupling agents strongly affect the interfacial adhesion and, consequently, the thermal stability of recycled polypropylene wood flour composites.

A novel biodegradable and conductive composite

Do Sung Huh , Chitragra Basavaraja, April 2014

Combining electroactive polyaniline and environmentally-friendly poly(1,4-butylene succinate) gives flexible electrical composites with biomedical and engineering applications.

Annealing conditions for injection-molded poly(lactic acid)

Yottha Srithep, Lih-Sheng Turng, April 2014

Post-molding annealing increases the degree of crystallinity in injection-molded poly(lactic acid) components and improves their mechanical and heat resistance performance.

SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division TopCon Edition 2014 Newsletter

SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division, April 2014

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

Injection molding of self-hybrid composites

Denis Rodrigue, Jorge R. Robledo-Ortiz , Jose Anzaldo-Hernandez, Ruben Gonzalez-Nunez, Aida A. Perez-Fonseca, March 2014

Combining different sizes of particles improves the mechanical properties of composite materials.

Recycling peroxide-crosslinked polyethylene

Keyuan Huang, Avraam I. Isayev, March 2014

An ultrasonic single screw extruder produces melt-processable decrosslinked high-density polyethylene with good mechanical performance.

New life for aircraft waste composites

Raffaele Corvino, Mario Malinconico, Maria Emanuela Errico, Maurizio Avella, Pierfrancesco Cerruti, March 2014

Recyclable thermoplastic composite materials, made of waste from dismantled aircraft and polystyrene loose-fill packaging, are capable of handling high weight loads.

Wood apple shell particulates reinforce epoxy composites

Raghavendra Gujjala, Samir Kumar Acharya, Shakuntala Ojha, March 2014

Adding biodegradable shell particulates to an epoxy resin matrix yields superior thermal stability and mechanical properties while lowering fabrication cost.

Strengthening composites with waste rubber

Adel Ramezani Kakroodi, Denis Rodrigue, March 2014

Process optimization enables impact modification of polymer composites using surface-coated waste rubber particles.

Poly(butylene succinate)/ halloysite nanotube nanocomposites

Yijun Zhang, Guangjian He, Jun Luo, Xianwu Cao, Wei Wu, January 2014

The strength and modulus of poly(butylene succinate) can be increased with the addition of halloysite nanotubes, without a significant loss of ductility.

Effect of nanofiller type on degradation of polylactic acid

Michael Niaounakis, Panayiotis Georgiopoulos, Evagelia Kontou, January 2014

Polylactic acid nanocomposites with montmorillonite and silica nanofillers showed different thermomechanical property alterations over a six-month aging period.

Biobased and biodegradable polylactide composites with waste cotton fibers

Ewa Piorkowska, January 2014

Blending polylactide with other polymers, fibers, and fillers leads to novel materials with modified properties.

Chitosan/titanium oxide composite: a photocatalyst and bacteriocide

Yuvaraj Haldorai, December 2013

A chitosan/titanium oxide composite exhibited high photocatalytic activity against harmful dyes as well as antibacterial properties, and it was easier to recover from the environment than titanium oxide alone.

Characterization of kaolin-filled polymer composites

Nivin Ahmed, Azza Ward, Magda Tawfik, November 2013

Addition of a treated kaolin filler improves the mechanical and electrical properties of polymer composites produced from unsaturated polyester derived from polyethylene terephthalate waste.