Valorization and mechanical recycling of heterogeneous post-consumer polymer waste through a mechano-chemical process

In this paper, a sustainable strategy to valorize and recycle heterogeneous polymer-based post-consumer waste is proposed. This strategy is based on a high-energy mechano-chemical treatment and has been applied to a polyolefin-rich fraction, coded as FIL/S, deriving from household plastic waste collection. This processing, performed in a planetary ball mill, allowed us to obtain fine grinding and, consequently, to induce an intimate mixing of the different polymer fractions and contaminants composing the FIL/S, as demonstrated by SEM analysis. As a result, an improvement in the deformability of the treated material was obtained, recording values for elongation at the break which were two and half times higher than the neat FIL/S. Finally, the addition of small amounts of organic peroxide during mechano-chemical treatment was tested, determining a more homogeneous morphology and a further improvement in mechanical parameters.