| Abstract: | Methods of treating the solid plastic waste are reviewed. The diffusion coefficients of toluene and benzyl alcohol in PET were determined from sorption experiments. For toluene, desorption (into water) experiments were also carried out and the diffusion coefficients were determined for various initial toluene concentrations in the polymer. The diffusion coefficients from the latter experiments were significantly lower than those determined from the sorption studies. In migration of toluene from the contaminated PET into water, a reduction of two orders of magnitude in the level of migration was achieved by sandwiching the contaminated PET between two layers of the virgin polymer. In another study, properties of Nylon 6/PE blends reprocessed at various shear rates were evaluated. The results showed that after minimum mixing of the blend obtained from a Nylon 6/PE laminate, the low oxygen permeability of the original film was preserved. |
