An experimental validation of diffusion-based devolatilization models in extruders using post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste
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Chi Nghia Chung
,
Christian Marschik
,
Mohamad Hassan Akhras
Abstract
Extrusion is a key process in mechanical recycling. In a degassing step, volatile components, including all impurities and moisture, are removed from a polymer melt to ensure consistently high quality of the recyclates. Predicting devolatilization performance is therefore of interest in the design of degassing screws; in the plastics industry, it also plays an important role in the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Using two different devolatilization models, we first modelled the degassing process of a lab-scale twin-screw extruder and an industrial-scale recycling single-screw extruder. We then predicted the devolatilization performance of both machines, validated the results with experimental data obtained from emissions tests carried out with post-industrial and post-consumer polypropylene materials and performed linear regression analysis to compare our two models in terms of predictive quality. Our results showed that both models are equally suitable for reliable prediction of the devolatilization performance.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge financial support from the COMET Centre CHASE, funded within the COMET − Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies program by the BMK, the BMDW and the Federal Provinces of Upper Austria and Vienna. The COMET program is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study, or their legal guardians or wards.
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Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: The authors acknowledge financial support from the COMET Centre CHASE, funded within the COMET − Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies program by the BMK, the BMDW and the Federal Provinces of Upper Austria and Vienna. The COMET program is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).
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Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review Articles
- Probing the microstructural properties of metal-reinforced polymer composites
- Advancements in chemical modifications using NaOH to explore the chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of natural fiber polymer composites (NFPC)
- Research Articles
- The effect of clay reinforcement of pine pollen grains on the mechanical, anti-corrosion and anti-microbial properties of an epoxy coating
- Influence of stacking sequence and nano-silica fortification on the physical properties of veli karuvelam – peepal hybrid natural composites
- An experimental validation of diffusion-based devolatilization models in extruders using post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste
- Impact of filler type and proportion on the performance of rubberized coconut fiber-polystyrene composites
- Evaluation of the processing conditions on the production of expanded or plasticized wood plastic composite with cashew nutshell powder
- Irradiation of PMMA intraocular lenses by a 365 nm UV lamp
- Design and simulation analysis of an extrusion structure based on screw extrusion 3D printing
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review Articles
- Probing the microstructural properties of metal-reinforced polymer composites
- Advancements in chemical modifications using NaOH to explore the chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of natural fiber polymer composites (NFPC)
- Research Articles
- The effect of clay reinforcement of pine pollen grains on the mechanical, anti-corrosion and anti-microbial properties of an epoxy coating
- Influence of stacking sequence and nano-silica fortification on the physical properties of veli karuvelam – peepal hybrid natural composites
- An experimental validation of diffusion-based devolatilization models in extruders using post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste
- Impact of filler type and proportion on the performance of rubberized coconut fiber-polystyrene composites
- Evaluation of the processing conditions on the production of expanded or plasticized wood plastic composite with cashew nutshell powder
- Irradiation of PMMA intraocular lenses by a 365 nm UV lamp
- Design and simulation analysis of an extrusion structure based on screw extrusion 3D printing
