Explore polymer characterization (Part 2): Discover how it revolutionizes recycling

by Taco van der Maten, Thursday, 27th June 2024

White plastic grain, plastic polymer characterization, hand hold Polymer pellets, Raw materials for making water pipes, Plastics from petrochemicals and compound extrusion, resin from plant polyethylene.

In our last blog on polymer characterization, we explored the various analytical techniques that improve the design and production of polymer-based materials, such as plastics. But advances in polymer characterization not only open new possibilities in the design and manufacture of polymer-based products, but they also help manage them at the end of the lifecycle as well.

A better understanding of polymer properties and composition means more polymers can be recycled, and manufacturers can design products that can be easily recycled downstream. So, what are the innovations in this area?

The potential implications of innovations in polymer characterization

One of the pillars of the climate transition is more resourceful waste management. Since so much waste is made up of plastic, the way that we manage polymer recycling is important. The aim is to reduce non-recyclable plastics/polymers and recycle as much as possible from our existing stocks.

Reducing Plastic Pollution: Implementing Effective Waste Segregation Practices at Plastic Sorting Stations

For plastics to be successfully recycled, they must meet high quality standards. Polymer characterization can examine the polymers in an unknown plastic sample, revealing any poor-quality compounds or hazardous materials in the plastic. The next generation of these technologies could even tell us if it contains recycled materials and how many times a product has been recycled, providing critical transparency and verification for waste management claims.

For plastics to be successfully recycled, they must meet high quality standards. Polymer characterization can examine the polymers in an unknown plastic sample, revealing any poor-quality compounds or hazardous materials in the plastic. The next generation of these technologies could even tell us if it contains recycled materials and how many times a product has been recycled, providing critical transparency and verification for waste management claims.

If we could tell whether a material has been recycled before, we might even be able to find out its previous function. This opens up many important discussions about safety and sustainability. Should food-grade plastics with a previous life as industrial polymers be allowed? Would reprocessing these polymers make them safer? How many rounds of recycling would it take to make them safe?

With greater insights into polymers, manufacturers can design greener products

Consumers are eager to recycle, but an ongoing challenge is that different types of plastics require different recycling processes. Recycling plants can’t always identify and process every type of plastic they receive. To address this, major plastics manufacturers are considering implementing solutions that address these issues upstream.

For example, a beverage producer that uses a variety of polymers could produce a differently shaped bottle for each type of plastic. Using AI image recognition, an automated system would sort bottles into different plastic types just based on shape alone ­– no chemical method of polymer characterization would be required.

This approach could be supplemented by applying markers to the plastic that machines can recognize under certain conditions. This system is more intuitive and faster than manually searching for the plastic’s resin identification code at the recycling plant.

How polymer characterization technologies are applied to the recycling plant

Another challenge in recycling is integrating the analysis into the processing line: the analysis needs to keep pace with the volume of recyclable material, work seamlessly with the rest of the process, and provide representative data for the entire material sample. Meeting all three of these criteria can be challenging. For example, data representation isn’t an issue if the analysis is performed in a separate laboratory, but the problem is that the analysis cannot meet the demands of the process line.

Malvern Panalytical’s Epsilon Xflow is designed to bring the analytical power of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to these environments where real-time analysis is a necessity. When plastics are chemical recycled and pyrolysis oil is the result, in-line analysis of the elemental concentrations of the many additives and fillers from the original plastic can me quantified.

The Epsilon Xflow is just one polymer characterization instrument that can used in complex recycling operations such as plastic recycling. In addition, production lines on the factory floor in the quality control laboratory can be equipped with automated PSD, XRF, X-ray diffraction (XRD), imaging, and light scattering instruments. 

Recycling techniques can improve by leaps and bounds thanks to the automation and innovation of polymer characterization technologies – bringing us closer to circularity in more and more industries.

Make sure you’re making the most of the latest innovations in polymer characterization – read our brochure to find out more.

Further read