RT Journal Article
T1 Effect of simulated mechanical recycling processes on the structure and properties of poly(lactic acid)
A1 Beltrán González, Freddys
A1 Lorenzo Esteban, Vicente
A1 Acosta, Juan
A1 Orden Hernández, María Ulagares De La
A1 Martínez Urreaga, Joaquín
AB The aim of this work is to study the effects of different simulated mechanical recycling processes on the structure and properties of PLA. A commercial grade of PLA was melt compounded and compression molded, then subjected to two different recycling processes. The first recycling process consisted of an accelerated ageing and a second melt processing step, while the other recycling process included an accelerated ageing, a demanding washing process and a second melt processing step. The intrinsic viscosity measurements indicate that both recycling processes produce a degradation in PLA, which is more pronounced in the sample subjected to the washing process. DSC results suggest an increase in the mobility of the polymer chains in the recycled materials; however the degree of crystallinity of PLA seems unchanged. The optical, mechanical and gas barrier properties of PLA do not seem to be largely affected by the degradation suffered during the different recycling processes. These results suggest that, despite the degradation of PLA, the impact of the different simulated mechanical recycling processes on the final properties is limited. Thus, the potential use of recycled PLA in packaging applications is not jeopardized.
PB Elsevier
SN 0301-4797
YR 2017
FD 2017-05-17
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/18081
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/18081
LA eng
NO Received 17 January 2017, Revised 4 April 2017, Accepted 7 May 2017, Available online 12 May 2017.
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España (MINECO)
NO Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
NO Ecoembes
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 jun 2025