Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic films are used and discarded daily during product packaging in the industrial sector. Unfortunately, large amounts of these films are helpful during a short period, after which they go to the trash, thus ending up in landfills or incinerated. This work aims to integrate a recycling strategy in an industrial context by evaluating the possibility of designing sustainable products from LDPE plastic film waste from the packaging and transportation of industrial products. The goal is to study the viability of reusing LDPE plastic films to create new objects at the end of their life. Experiments were conducted using film discarded by a furniture company to assess its behavior when reprocessed under different thermal cycles, with or without the addition of colored films. Samples were prepared for tensile testing to evaluate the quality of the resulting products. Additionally, macro image analyses of the surfaces of the reprocessed parts were performed, along with the characterization of the material’s molecular structure and degradation temperatures in both its initial and reprocessed states. The results have shown that it is possible to design new products made from 100% recycled LDPE plastic film, without significant loss of mechanical properties, revealing the importance of integrating recycling strategies in the business context, adding value to companies, and decreasing their environmental footprint.

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Integrating Plastic Film Recycling in Product Manufacturing: A Design Study on the Reuse of Low-Density Polyethylene

  • Teresa Moura,
  • Leonardo Santana,
  • Jorge Lino Alves

摘要

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic films are used and discarded daily during product packaging in the industrial sector. Unfortunately, large amounts of these films are helpful during a short period, after which they go to the trash, thus ending up in landfills or incinerated. This work aims to integrate a recycling strategy in an industrial context by evaluating the possibility of designing sustainable products from LDPE plastic film waste from the packaging and transportation of industrial products. The goal is to study the viability of reusing LDPE plastic films to create new objects at the end of their life. Experiments were conducted using film discarded by a furniture company to assess its behavior when reprocessed under different thermal cycles, with or without the addition of colored films. Samples were prepared for tensile testing to evaluate the quality of the resulting products. Additionally, macro image analyses of the surfaces of the reprocessed parts were performed, along with the characterization of the material’s molecular structure and degradation temperatures in both its initial and reprocessed states. The results have shown that it is possible to design new products made from 100% recycled LDPE plastic film, without significant loss of mechanical properties, revealing the importance of integrating recycling strategies in the business context, adding value to companies, and decreasing their environmental footprint.