Relationships between Physio-chemical Properties and Quality of Films made of Recycled Polyethylene

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EcoPoly Solutions manufactures a full range of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) products including degradable trash bags, printed film & bags, and flat bags. To foster the green production process, EcoPoly uses recycled polyethylene as their feed in the manufacturing of many of their products. Recycled polyethylene is obtained in the form of pellets from different vendors. These pellets have usually undergone different crushing, separation, washing, extrusion and pelletizing processes before being used in another extrusion process at EcoPoly. Moreover, recycled polymers are sometimes mixed with different resins and additives. Recycled polyethylene generally possesses a broad range of physical and mechanical properties due to a number of factors, including degradation challenges that occur during processing, the unknown history of the recycled materials, and complexities in the additive mixing process. Because of this variation, EcoPoly experiences difficulties in the process and quality control of their products made out of recycled polyethylene. In this project, EcoPoly Solutions (industrial partner) is interested in collaborating with Lakehead University (academic partner) to gain deep insights about failure mechanisms originating from the poor quality and variation of the feedstock. The project includes the following steps: (i) characterize the feedstock in terms of physio-chemical properties, (ii) determine the variations in the feedstock within a single lot and also between different lots, (iii) characterize the films in terms of their mechanical properties, and (iv) establish relationships between the physio-chemical properties and the final film properties. The outcome of this project not only will provide EcoPoly with great insights into cutting their waste, but will also pave the path for developing a new generation of plastic bags out of recycled resins, an estimated market of $118.6 billion in 2019. Furthermore, the project will benefit Canada with the development of environmentally friendly bags out of recycled resins. The proposed study will provide technical training for one postdoctoral fellow.