Thermal Characterization and Recycling of Polymers from Plastic Packaging Waste

Today, the global production of plastic packaging reaches a million tons annually, resulting in significant amounts of plastic waste in the environment, which causes serious pollution issues and negatively affects the health of all living beings. However, the recycling rate for plastic packaging waste in Europe currently remains limited (~38%). With this in mind, this study focuses on the collection, characterization, and recycling, through pyrolysis, of 23 random plastic samples collected from food and non-food packaging waste in Greece. The samples were analyzed using thermal characterization techniques, such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA), in conjunction with FTIR spectroscopy to gather important information and identify the polymers present in each sample. Furthermore, the samples underwent pyrolysis, resulting in valuable products such as the monomers styrene or ethylene, along with other useful secondary compounds, including benzoic acid, depending on the polymer type of each sample. The most prevalent polymer identified was PE (35%), while the remaining samples consisted of PET (22%), PP (22%), and PS (17%); only one sample was a blend of PE/PP. DSC facilitated the identification of the polyethylene type (LDPE, HDPE, or LLDPE).