Modification of Polymer Mixtures with Copolymers to Obtain Polymer Compositions with Improved Deformation and Strength Characteristics

Recycling of multi-layer polymer materials is difficult, due to the complexity of sorting and separation of mixed waste, so most often they end up in landfills, polygons or incinerated, which leads to environmental and economic problems in the country. Currently, there are ways to process packaging waste with the exception of the sorting stage using chemical and physical modification. The article is devoted to the process of modification of polyolefin mixtures based on polyethylene and polypropylene, as well as a comprehensive study of the obtained secondary raw materials, which is aimed at increasing the technological compatibility of polymer materials for the development of recycling technology with the prospect of returning polymer compositions to the production cycle. The following tasks were set: to conduct a comprehensive study of polymer compositions based on polyolefins, which are modified by a copolymer of ethylene with propylene in a different ratio of components; to study the influence of the modifier on the physical and mechanical properties of polymer mixtures; to study the influence of rheological properties of polymer compositions modified by a copolymer; to propose a technology for recycling secondary polyolefin compositions in the production cycle. The objects of research were polyethylene, polypropylene and ethylene copolymer with propylene as a binder, in different proportions of components. Samples were obtained on a laboratory single-screw extruder with multiple processing. Scientific research was carried out using the method of capillary viscometry, pycnometric method for determining rheological properties, and uniaxial stretching method for studying the physical and mechanical properties of polymer compositions. It was found that the introduction of a modifier (ethylene copolymer with propylene) leads to an increase in the elongation at break in polymer compositions in the ratio of 70 % polyethylene to 30 % polypropylene and the breaking stress for compositions based on polyethylene and polypropylene in the ratio of 50:50 and 30: 70, respectively. As a result of the research, a technology for obtaining multi-layer packaging materials using packaging waste in the middle layer for contact with food products is proposed; a technology for processing polyolefin mixtures of various chemical nature is proposed without pre-sorting, to obtain packaging for technical purposes and household items.

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