Mechanical properties of recycled plastics

Recycled plastics – good as new!

In order to accelerate recycling and meet consumer and social demand for greener industrial processes, we need to find ways to improve the quality of recycled plastics so they can be used for more complex applications. 

One issue with recycled plastics is their mechanical properties. Recycled polymers containing more than 4% of a contaminant polyolefin usually demonstrate very poor mechanical and optical properties, meaning they are only suitable for use in unsophisticated commodity plastics.

Minerals such as talc, mica and calcium carbonate improve dispersion in the recycled polymer mix resulting in a more uniform material with improved properties such as stiffness, dimensional stability and heat resistance, making recycled resins suitable for use in more demanding engineering applications such as under-the-hood automotive parts. 

Talk to us today about how our mineral solutions technology can help drive the use of recycled plastics forward – and improve the ecological credentials of your end products.