USE OF ABS FROM WEEE WITHOUT AN ACCURATE PREVIOUS SEPARATION

VAZQUEZ, YAMILA; BARBOSA, SILVIA E.

Santa Margherita di Pula, Cerdeña

Simposio; 16th International Waste Management and Landfield Symposium; 2017

International Waste Working Group, iWWg

Recycling strategies for Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) from Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) avoiding sorting step by direct melt blending with High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) were developed. ?Self-compatibilization? of ABS/HIPS blends was study and the addition of Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) as a compatibilizer to improve phase adhesion was analyzed. Then, a big margin error of sorting can be admitted and consequently costs can be reduced. Thermal behavior, mechanical performance and morphology of ABS/HIPS physical blends with two different proportion, 80/20 and 50/50, was analyzed comparatively with single ABS to asses self-compatibilization effectiveness. Same blends proportion with 2 wt% of SBS was studied in comparison with their physical blends and ABS. Results obtained indicates that ABS/HIPS self-compatibilization and compatibilization with 2 wt% of SBS are effective. ABS can tolerate up to 50 wt% of HIPS with a little improvement in ductility and strength. The addition of 2 wt% of SBS to each physical blend notably improves mechanical properties of ABS and physical blends ones. Results are very promissory for plastic WEEE recycling leading to a sustainable strategy that can promote the reuse recycled ABS blended with other plastic WEEE instead of single ABS.