Recycling of aged ABS from real WEEE through ABS/PC blends in the ABS-rich compositions

Recycled aged acrylonitrilebutadienestyrene (ABS) does not recover the impact strength of virgin ABS mainly due to polybutadiene degradation or the presence of flame retardants (FR). So, ABS/PC (polycarbonate) blends were elaborated to obtain a recycled material with resilience at least equivalent to neat ABS and within the range of composition of real waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) deposits. ABS/PC blends were first made from virgin polymers to reach optimal processability and composition. Performing Charpy impact strength tests and morphological studies allowed us to evaluate influence of extrusion temperature and PC content on blends. Experimental results indicate that the impact strength of ABS/PC blends is higher when morphology is fibrillar-like or co-continuous. A virgin ABSFR/PC blend (70/30) with an impact strength greater than neat ABS has been obtained. But, with an equivalent composition, this result is not reached for recycled blends. So, to achieve efficient blends rich in recycled ABS, compatibilization is necessary. Recycled ABS/PC (70/30) blends compatibilized with 5% PP-g-MA prove to be more resilient than virgin ABS. However, a compatibilizing agent has a limited efficiency when it is used in the presence of a FR or subjected to a high residence time during injection. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 31: 343353, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20257