Odors in recycled polymers: how to cope with the problem?The enhancement of recycled polymers also passes through the solution of the problem of odors In a circular economy perspective, the recycled polymers that come from post-consumption, therefore from the domestic separate collection, must be valorized, also managing to solve the problem of odors. The need to make greater use of recycled polymers that come from post-consumption has now become a primary issue for the recycling of plastics. As reported in the article published on the plastic and circular economy portal two fundamental conditions must occur: Remodeling of the aesthetic expectations of finished products made of recycled plastic Reduction or cancellation of the smells that products made with post-consumer input bring with them after production.In the first case it is important to be able to produce more products with recycled plastics , especially those made today with virgin plastics only for aesthetic reasons that could be defined as negligible, thus increasing the consumption of plastic waste. In the second case, the problem of odor still strongly affects the purchase of recycled granules, especially in those countries where the problem of environmental protection is less felt. If we want to give an example, a bottle of detergent produced with a recycled HDPE , after production, maintains a quota of smell (perfume?) Of detergent that comes from the processing of the bottles of the separate collection, in which the fragrances of the liquids previously contained also remain after washing. As you can see, it is not a disabling problem for those who will have to refill the recycled bottle with perfumed liquids, but it is and has always been a topic discussed by polymer buyers. Although things from this point of view are slowly changing, where there are major complications are those products made with PP or PP / PE or LDPE whose raw material has contained food residues, detergents, cosmetics or where the regeneration process has critical issues . The factors that contribute most to the creation of odors are represented by: Food residues, which create microbiological processes Cosmetic residues that present difficulties in cleaning during washing Surfactants that are incorporated into plastics Contaminations in the washing water of plastic waste Contaminations caused by the degradation of polymers during the production of granules. To date, a full and definitive solution to the problem, to be applied in the large-scale production of recycled polymers, does not seem to exist yet, in fact, various paths are being followed to try to mitigate and, in the future, resolve the presence of these odors. Coverage of odors There are numerous products on the market, in the form of masterbach, which are used in the extrusion or injection phase of the products, containing various fragrances that help to mitigate a pungent odor like some polymer productions can be. The fragrances are numerous: vanilla, pine, strawberry, orange, lemon, lavender and many others. Mechanical processes There are plants for the production of recycled granules which, during the processing of plastic waste and the production of the granule itself, substantially reduce the sources that generate unpleasant odors. These systems are based on a triple combination of filtration, degassing and suction of volatile parts in order to improve the problem. Scientific research At the same time, research is making progress to try to identify, in a scientific and unequivocal way, the source of the odors of the compounds coming from the separate collection. The German Fraunhofer Institute for Process and Engineering and Packaging ( IVV ) is studying how to improve the recycling processes of post-consumer waste. The work focuses, with an olfactometric and analytical approach, on the study and cataloging of the smells present in post-consumer plastics, evaluating their intensity and origin, identifying the materials that produce them through a chemical analysis. The data collected from these scientific catalogings will help researchers find suitable processes for solving problems caused by microbiological decay, aging of the plastic, chemical results of thermal processes and residues from mechanical processing of plastic that cause unpleasant odors.Analytical control of odors in the laboratory Today, however, we have the possibility, through a laboratory instrumentation, which combines the activity of a gas chromatograph (GC) and an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) to have a precise picture on the intensity and nature of the odors that come from the waste from recycle either from the flake or granule produced by post consumer plastics. This tool helps us to identify the annoying components from the odorous point of view in the incoming waste, but also on the raw material produced or on the final products made with recycled plastic, so as to establish corrective actions or, with the customer, an analytical range and not questionable, the level of odors in the products and accepted by the parties.Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
Odors in Plastic: Check the Supply Chain to Avoid ComplaintsOdors in Plastic: Check the Supply Chain to Avoid ComplaintsIf it is known that in the waste coming from separate collection and therefore from post-consumption, the presence of odors can consistently persist, once transformed into granules, the expectations on the production of raw material from post industrial waste or from post industrial + post consumer compounds, from the point of view of odors, are definitely higher. So high, that you expects not to have to face the problem of delivering to the customer plastic granules suitable for producing items that until a few years ago were made with virgin raw material, which contain an unpleasant odor gradient. The qualitative ambitions of these customers who buy the recycled plastic raw material remain high (as if they were still buying a virgin raw material), so as to be able to boast of green productions , but at the same time not having to risk losing their final customers due to an issue linked to unpleasant odors. A couple of requests that are really difficult to sustain, where the producer of recycled plastic raw material must find certain solutions to control its production chain, with the aim of avoiding to purchase scrap and manage processes that could increase the problem. But what tools do we have today to be able to create a control strategy that warns us when an incoming plastic waste can cause odors in the final granule, with the consequent possible dispute of the customer who buys it, or what tools do we have to understand if the extrusion of the raw material creates degradation processes that could generate odors? First we can say that the tool for odor control in all stages of production exists, it gives us a chemical photograph of our processes and shows us where there may be the error that will cause the dispute. This laboratory machine, the size of a desktop printer, is a gas chromatograph combined with an ion mobility spectrometer which, through a quick analysis and without preparation of the particular samples, it tells us what is, chemically, the origin of the fragrances that the human nose intercepts but which does not know how to separate them and understand their origin. If you think it will only be useful to give a scent license to the plastic granule you produce, you are only one third of the way, as the help that this type analysis can give the company not only the final control of the raw material, but also identify the critical stages of production in order to prevent odors from forming. The areas of use of the technology can be summarized here: Purchase of plastic waste for production Whether they are post consumer or post industrial, a company that produces recycled granules has several suppliers of plastic waste and, not all of them work in the same way: washing with different efficacy, waste selection with different systems and methods, risks of contamination of waste with other plastics and many other similar situations. So it is necessary to build a qualitative database of suppliers, as regards the odors of waste, so that you can, chemically, have a photograph of what it is waste it can contain and how this waste could behave in its transformation into plastic granule. The chemical analysis of the incoming flows makes us understand which supplier, by raw material, we can use to create our granule recipes, without generating unpleasant odor problems in the production phase. The flow analyzes create a database through which you can attribute a specific waste of a particular supplier to a specific recipe. If the chemical photograph of a flow of plastic waste contemplates the presence of a series of chemical compounds in a certain quantity, we can know with certainty which odorous imprint the our final granule. Granulation of plastic wasteIn this phase it may happen that, without a chemical photograph of the input entering the extruder, the waste can be used for the production of granules, without we can intercept a particular odor disturbance, thus trusting to produce a good quality granule, perhaps comforted by the fact that the laboratory analyzes that are normally done, such as density, DSC, ashes and fluidity, tell us that the material can be eligible. But during production there may be very small fractions, in terms of quantity, of materials unrelated to the main raw material, which can degrade creating important odor signals that could have the material contested. The chemical photograph gives us indications that are expressed in values so small that the chemical compounds entering the extruder and those that can be generated during processing, are precisely intercepted and analytically defined. So even the control of the extrusion phase of recycled plastics gives us a precise, non-empirical picture of odors, on which we can work for a possible adjustment of the recipes . Quality control in sales and after salesHow can you define a smell of a recycled polymer? Seen by the manufacturer in one way, seen by a buyer perhaps in another. This difference in evaluation creates the greatest number of disputes and commercial embarrassments which, at times, ends with a surrender of the producer for lack of certain proof. This yield almost always turns into economic damage to be recognized to the customer by the polymer manufacturer but, in most of the times, there is also a commercial uncertainty between customer and supplier managed in a completely empirical way through the nose test. The customer has his men who smell the smell of the granule they receive and give an evaluation, while the supplier provides his team. In both cases, the human nose, however sophisticated, can interpret the smell in a different way. To resolve the uncertainty, possible disputes and possible loss of trust on the part of the customer, providing them with a chemical photograph of what you are selling is the best way to demonstrate that the product is made up of chemical elements that can generate odor gradients within the limits that the customer has previously accepted, not through a questionable nose but through chemistry. In fact, customer and supplier can create, in a certain and analytical way, an agreement that limits certain chemical substances that generate odors to values accepted by both parties. Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
Post-Consumer Recycled LDPE: 60 Types of Odors Hinder SaleLDPE Recycled from Post-Consumer: 60 Types of Odors Obstruct Sales The separate collection of plastic packaging, especially for those in LDPE , is a modern achievement which allows, through recycling, the reuse of exhausted packaging with the dual advantage of reducing the carbon footprint and the withdrawal of natural resources from the earth to create new products. However, much still needs to be done in the recycling sector as the share of plastic that is collected and reused is still far lower than that which is produced every day. This quantitative imbalance between what is recycled and what is produced again has many causes: • Limited diffusion of separate waste collection in the world • Difficulty in recycling many multilayer plastic packaging • Low quality of recycled raw material • Lack of a recycling culture In countries where separate waste collection has started and functions stably, the production of recycled raw material suffers from a fairly negative judgment on its quality, caused by factors that also depend, but not only, on the mechanical recycling chain. This negative evaluation has a significant impact on the sales of the recycled raw material, relegating its use only to some sectors of use, thus reducing the salable quantities and lowering the average price per ton, which in turn leads to a low economic margin for companies that recycle. Furthermore, the less recycled granules sold , the less plastic waste that can be recycled and the greater the problem of its disposal becomes, risking the precious raw material that could be reused ending up in landfill. Among the problems that recycled raw materials suffer from, despite the enormous plant development in the sector, that of odor is among the most felt by customers who could use it to produce films, rigid packaging, materials for the construction sector, for automotive, gardening, furniture and many other products. To date, the perception of the smell of a post-consumer plastic raw material is entrusted, in a completely empirical way, to a nasal sensation of those who produce it and those who use it, who evaluate in an extremely subjective way both the type and the intensity of odors present in recycled plastic. An evaluation which can then clash with the end customer who will buy the product created and give a further personal evaluation of the smell. The human nose is certainly an excellent tool but each person perceives odorous stimuli in a completely personal way, and this is why, in particular cases, groups of people are hired to together evaluate the odors to be intercepted. If we take the plastics recycling chain as an example, starting from separate waste collection, we have seen that the LDPE bags and flexible packaging that go for recycling bring with them a very high number of chemical substances that generate odors in the recycling chain . The detection of odor sources has not been studied through empirical sensory methods, therefore through the human nose, but through a chemical investigation carried out by a laboratory instrument consisting of a gas chromatograph with an ion mobility spectrometer. This tool analyzed the chemical components within a large sampling of recycled LDPE coming from separate waste collection, identifying 60 types of chemical substances that generate odors. The sampling analyzed came from the traditional mechanical recycling cycle in which the material is selected, shredded and washed with a stay in water of approximately 15 minutes. The most common odors perceived by the human nose in this sampling were: • Mold • Urine • Cheese • Earth • Fecal • Soap • Coffee • Sweaty • Pepper These families of perceived odors are created by approximately 60 chemical compounds that come together during the collection and processing phase of recycled plastic. Some critical points have been identified: The separate waste collection bag containing domestic plastic packaging to be selected in which we find different types of polymers may contain residues of substances such as detergents, food, oils, disinfectants, chemical products, creams and many others. This mixture of different chemical elements can bind to the surface of the plastic but, depending on the association time, it could also penetrate inside it. The selection between the various plastics , through optical reader machines, creates a certain percentage of error which translates into the possibility of having mixed quantities of plastics within the selected fraction. The washing phase of the ground plastic has the function of further dividing, by density, the plastics introduced and has the aim of cleaning them from the residues of products that the packaging has contained or has come into contact with. With the exception of PET, the other polymers coming from separate waste collection are generally washed in cold water, a process that does not significantly affect the cleaning process in order to reduce odors. The extrusion phase of the washed material, for the formation of the granule, could lead to a degradation of the raw material in which there are fractions of polymers other than the main one which will therefore melt at different temperatures. This can cause the formation of chemical elements that will give rise to odors. Intervening on these phases would lead to a significant improvement in the quality of the post-consumer polymers produced, not only through a reduction in the types and intensity of odors, but would also improve their technical performance. The analytical control of odors , through tools that detect their chemical origins, can help not only in the certification phase of the odorous level of the final raw material in an unequivocal and no longer empirical way, but would also provide important support in the recipe creation phase on the types of raw materials to be used during the recycling phases of plastic waste, on the identification of the best sources and on the results of the production processes in the plant (selection, washing and extrusion). Reducing odors and improving the quality of post-consumer granules would lead to the opening of new markets in which recycled raw materials could be used instead of virgin ones with an environmental, economic and industrial advantage. Category: news - technical - plastic - recycling - LDPE - post-consumer - odors See more information on LDPE recycling
SEE MORE
Can Plastic Bottles Transfer Substances to the Water Contained?Let's find out by checking the water contained in a PET bottle using the electronic noseThe packaging of soft drinks and mineral water has passed, in a few years, from glass to plastic bottles for a series of important factors that have made this bottling system the most used in the world. Around the plastic bottles , especially its primary material, PET , there have been developed support campaigns and campaigns of denigration among the most bitter, played between producers of soft drinks, producers of raw materials, distribution and citizens. The strongly discussed issues are environmental, on the one hand, claiming a sort of polluter license from the public opinion towards the producers of PET bottles, to due to the massive presence in the seas of disposable products. It is obvious to everyone that the producers of plastic bottles have no part in this environmental disaster that is to be attributed to the final consumer, who does not care about give the empty bottle to recycling centers or arrange for its reuse. On the other hand soft drink manufacturers have identified in the plastic bottle , by the way, today, consisting of one part of recycled material, a great advantage in terms of production costs, savings on logistics and a lower environmental impact during production than other packaging materials. But there is another question to consider, and that is the relationship between the plastic bottle and its contents , the 'water for example, a relationship that is a solidarity marriage as long as the water is not used by the consumer. During the permanence of the water in the plastic bottles , between the moment of bottling and the moment of its consumption, the bottle it can receive the effects of light, solar radiation and the increase in temperatures of plastic under the effect of the sun. Any modification of the standard conditions of the plastic, heat, cold, light, life time of the bottle , which can modify the structure of the plastic, could be shared with the water contained that the consumer drinks. How do we know if volatile elements that arise as a result of possible mutations in plastic are transmitted or not in the water? Not tasting it , as some substances that could be released may be tasteless, not looking at it against the light, because some substances may not be visible to the naked eye. Today we have a small but very effective laboratory instrument , called electronic nose, which analyzes volatile elements in a scientific way some materials. By sampling portions of water contained in various plastic bottles, the test tubes are inserted into the electronic nose and, automatically, the samples are heated, creating volatile parts that are intercepted by a gas chromatograph (GC), which communicates with an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) , which give us a three-dimensional examination of the volatile parts contained in the water, identifying exactly the quantity and chemical type of the compounds contained. What shall we drink then? Water or something? The electronic nose will tell us Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
How to Identify Limonene in Post Consumer PlasticsThe presence of the smell of limonene in post-consumer plastic waste limits its use and quality With the increase in the use of post-consumer plastics in the production of articles, the problem of identifying odors in the waste to be processed has also increased and, consequently, in the granules produced following recycling. If until a few years ago the pungent and persistent odor in products made with post-consumer polymers was relatively tolerated, as they were intended for objects with limited destinations today, the massive use of these polymers in substitution of virgin raw material or post industrial waste, raises the problem of the smell of the finished product. As we have already described in several articles on the blog, on the difficulty of using post-consumer recycled plastic polymers, in the presence of annoying odors, we can deepen the subject by talking about how it is possible to control the plastic supply chain to understand both the presence and the intensity of the chemical compounds that give rise to unpleasant odors. The analysis can be done both from the point of view of the customer who buys the post-consumer polymer to produce the objects he will sell, and from that of the recycler who will have to analyze which batches of waste and in what quantities contain the substances that give rise to odors. First of all we can say that in post-consumer plastic waste there are more than one chemical substance that gives rise to a series of odors, but that some are more pungent and annoying than others. In particular, limonene is widely present and is difficult to eliminate, despite the plastic waste being duly treated with correct washing systems and adequate recycling procedures. In fact, during the reception phase of the waste packages, which have come into contact during their waste life with many other products, as well as food products, it is important to have the ability to test the incoming flows to understand the incidence of substances that will create odor at the end of the recycling process, in order to be able to manage them with careful mixing of waste that has a low level of these odorous substances. These compounds can be made on the basis of analytical data, not by sensation, so as to create a flow of raw material that can guarantee the user a certainty the percentage of odor contained in the granule. As for companies that use post-consumer plastic polymer, it is essential to establish the acceptable odor target, with analytical calculations, in order to guarantee their end customers to buy a product, made with post-consumer recycled plastics, with an odor rate according to established parameters, not empirically through the use of testers who make their nose available. This guarantee path, downstream and upstream of the process, can be carried out using a laboratory machine that uses ion mobility gas chromatography, which allows for analysis rapid (15 minutes) and automatic samples of waste or plastic granules or on finished products. A simple insertion of the sample into the tubes and into the machine, allows a detailed analysis of the presence of chemical compounds in the sample. Based on the graphic picture that the machine returns, the presence and intensity of the odorous components can be identified with certainty, taking the necessary actions to modify or accept or reject the product. Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
Analytical Odor Control in the Recycling SectorAnalytical Odor Control in the Recycling SectorRecycled materials, which are raw materials from the selection of waste, in their various states of life (loose, bales, ground, granules), o the final product, created through recycling processes, can bring with them gradients and types of odors that can be more or less unpleasant to operators or end customers. The sensation of acceptance or not of smell is entirely subjective and depends on an infinite series of sensory evaluations: what for me could be an acceptable smell, for the customer could be an unbearable home. The human nose is sensitive, but different between person and person in intercepting odors and, above all, it is not able to accurately catalog an equal level of odorous compounds, nor the repetition of the intensity of the odors it intercepts. What a company produces, in terms of smell on a product , whether it is raw material or a finished element, must be cataloged in a completely analytical way, without approximation, to determine standards that can accepted by both the producer and the customer, so that all subsequent productions can fall within the established ranges. Defining and being able to replicate a range of odors accepted by the parties is not only an increase in the qualitative service of the product itself and of the company, but also a guarantee towards the end customer who can reasonably know that the odor intensity can be cataloged and managed exactly. Let's see some examples where an "electronic nose" can make the difference: • Producers of PET trays, receiving the recycled granule or ground, can analytically evaluate the odor intensity of the raw material and give the producer himself standards not to be exceeded to avoid problems on the trays in the distribution chain. • Manufacturers of beverages in PET bottles can establish with certainty not only the maximum odor levels accepted on the raw material, but they can establish whether the product contained in the bottles can undergo transfers by the plastic bottle of odorous substances that can affect the quality of their product. • Producers of raw materials can establish with their customers the maximum odor ranges acceptable to both, through an analytical analysis of the material first sold in order to ensure a reliable product quality. • The manufacturers of bottles for detergents , for care, for perfumed liquids need to purchase recycled raw material in HDPE that has an odor content coming from the surfactants such that they do not interact negatively with the final packaging on the shelves of the shops or can alter the fragrance of the liquids or powders contained. • Furniture or packaging manufacturers for industrial logistics who use PP, HDPE and LDPE from post consumption, they must be able to establish with certainty the incidence of the odors of the raw materials they buy, in order to establish limits that cannot negatively affect the final product they distribute. • We could continue to cite other examples in which the lack of a certain classification of odors can often lead to the dispute of the materials, with considerable costs and degeneration of customer-supplier relationships. Through the use of an odorous substance analyzer , a laboratory machine that uses samples of raw materials or pieces of final products , therefore in the form of granules, ground, liquids, etc ..., which are heated, creating volatile substances inside the test tube, which are then chemically analyzed and compared, through an analysis program, this creates a precise picture of the types and intensities. The machine allows you to compare also standard samples and therefore accepted by the parties, with the various production samples in order to intercept the deviations and immediately evaluate production corrections. The results of the analyzes return a precise photograph, not only of the odor intensity, but also of the types of chemical compounds present in the samples that produce the mix of odors, so as to be able to intervene in a precise and timely manner. The tool that analytically analyzes the smells or fragrances of the volatile substances contained in the products is also used in the food sector to unmask food sophistications such as, for example, those of olive oil, to verify the compositions of coffee, to evaluate the freshness of food or the transfer of substances contained in the packaging to food. Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
Recycled Plastics: How to Use Ion Mobility Gas ChromatographyRecycled Plastics: How to Use Ion Mobility Gas ChromatographyAs we have extensively described in other articles, whose links you will find in the final part of this article, the world of recycled or recycled plastics, especially those that come from separate collection, defined by post-consumption, they have the problem of managing the odorous component that is established inside the recycled raw material. Odors that come from the heterogeneous composition of the plastic in the collection phase, from the fermentation processes of the organic residues incorporated in the plastics to be recycled, from the washing water not managed in correct manner, from the degradation, during the extrusion phase of the granules, of plastics mixed with the main ones and of chemical substances absorbed by the containers during their packaging function, such as surfactants for example. The production of recycled granules made without the chemical control of the incoming material, water control and extruded materials for sale, is like driving in the night with headlights off. The commitment of company resources to purchase the raw material to be recycled, processing costs, logistics and sales costs, could be put at risk by '' impossibility of producing a raw material in recycled plastic that meets the expectations of the final customer in terms of odors. The analytical control of odors in the input materials allows us to select suppliers, divide them by categories and draw up production recipes that take into account the odor footprint of the products inbound. The same analytical control will be used to check the correct production process and formulation of recipes, not only from a technical aesthetic point of view, but also from an odoriferous one, to giving the final customer an extra quality that is increasingly sought after by the market. And, finally, the commercial can calmly propose a granule that has a license for the smell, not questionable or questionable through other noses, especially from those who are employees in the purchase of the granule produced, but through a certainty provided by a chemical analysis of the odorous components present in the product.How does this laboratory technology work? The technology underlying the instrumentation we are talking about is the GC IMS (Gas Chromatography with ionic mobility). This technology applies to volatile organic substances originating from a static headspace generated under standardized conditions. A chromatographic gas column allows the preliminary fractionation of the volatile substances introduced before entering the heart of the instrument. The heart of the instrument is made up of a 9.8 cm metal tube inside which an electric field of 5,000 Volts is created; the volatile substances from the chromatographic column are ionized by a source containing tritium (a low intensity radioactive substance). The ionization process takes place at ambient pressure and is based on the interaction between the water present in traces in the nitrogen gas which acts as a "carrier": The chemical-physical process of ionization is such that volatile organic substances such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, aromatic compounds, amines, thiols, halogenated compounds , etc, are electrically charged and therefore made detectable by the Faraday plate placed at the end of the flight tube. The aforementioned substances are those responsible for the "odors" that are perceived by the human sense of smell: the "extreme sensitivity" of the detection system that reaches the level parts per billion (ppb). The electronic nose is therefore made up of a GC IMS detector, coupled with an autosampler that has the task of heating the 20 ml glass bottles in which they are located the substances (liquid or solid) that develop the volatile substances. The way to perform the analyzes is extremely simple, since there is no preparation of the product to be analyzed. In the sector of recycled or recycled plastics it is really easy to prepare the samples and get the tests. The analytical result consists of a three-dimensional diagram like a geographical map of the mountains: the "geographical map" indicates the elution time from the chromatographic column, the flight time and signal strength of each individual volatile organic substance. This instrumentation therefore allows you to compare in an "objective" way the recycled plastics that emit volatile organic substances perceptible to the smell. Useful Links: POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED PLASTIC GRANULE WITH ODOR CERTIFICATION ANALYTICAL ODOR CONTROL IN THE RECYCLING SECTOR ODORS IN RECYCLED POLYMERS: HOW TO COPE WITH THE PROBLEM? ODORS IN PLASTIC: CHECK THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO AVOID COMPLAINTSABOUT THE MACHINE Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic Granule with Odor CertificationDo Recycled Plastic Products Stink? Yes, No, Maybe, a little, every so often, often ... uncertainty applies to this field The post-consumer recycled plastic is increasingly entering the production of objects that we use every day and that we find on store shelves, in the distribution chains of furniture or objects for the home, in the interiors of our cars and in many products that we handle every day. The use of post-consumer plastic has not always been a voluntary choice by manufacturers of plastic articles, as its origin from separate collection, brings with it odorous problems which, if not managed well, can compromise the final products, creating inconvenience to customers. But the urgent need to reuse the highest possible amount of recycled plastic in the production of articles, in order to reduce waste, has imposed a new way of looking at mixtures for making plastic products. The large distribution chains of household items , for example, have turned to the production of their articles with a percentage of plastic recycled post-consumer, but require that the raw material does not bring with it unpleasant odors. The verification of the acceptability or otherwise of the raw material is done, normally with a system of tests carried out by people who put their nose at their disposal to endorse the purchases of raw materials and the marketing of products. Normally they are empirical, subjective and personal evaluations that leave ample room for discussion on what is an annoying smell and what a fragrance can be. Between the producer of raw material and the distributor of household products there is constant uncertainty as to what will be salable in terms of material first and what will be purchased by the end customer if the smell were to be perceived differently than the testers. It is therefore necessary to scientifically and analytically establish the odor gradients and their chemical origin to establish, among the parts, a range that protects both the production and the final sale of household products. Today technology comes to meet us through a laboratory machine which analytically intercepts the odorous substances of liquid, solid or powder samples, returning an exact evaluation of the chemical components present and their quantities, compared with an archive of 80,000 odorous substances. The control system is useful to the raw material producer , not only at the end of the process, through technical level analysis odorous of the plastic granules that it will sell, but it will also be very useful for analyzing the raw material , to classify its behavior in the following recipes. Knowing with certainty the odor contribution of the incoming waste or semi-finished product allows you to manage recipes in a simpler way which will lead to the production of a granule with the established odor gradients. The utility of the machine is also tangible for those who buy the raw material and transform it into final products, as they have the certainty to introduce in the circuit a certified granule from the odor point and can carry out a quality control, from the point of view of the odor impact, on the products that it will propose to the public.See more info about recyclingAutomatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
SEE MORE
