Types of plastic
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An overview of the different types of plastic, these are the most common ones. We mostly work with PP, HDPE, LDPE and PS. Just because we gather that the most from our waste here. However they should al work with our machines, just requires some (temperature) testing.
Hello,
Newbie here to the forum. Very excited about the direction and goals of the members. I am not educated in the science of the various plastics or polymer chemical makeup. I have been chipping up many different forms of plastics and abs computer cases with an old Troy built Garden style wood chipper that I have modified. I have numerous 55 gallon drums of mixed plastic chips. I eventually want to build Dave’s shredder and also get into crumb rubber.
My question is about Pyrolysizing plastics. As you know applying heat to such things as plastic or rubber while held in a vacuum, will cause the material to break down and release a gas, BUT not burn because of no oxygen. That gas can be captured and depending on the material, can be condensed back into a liquid form such as oil. For example, cellophane. The gas can also be burned off, and with proper oxygen introduced, it will burn pretty clean and hot. HOWEVER, if that gas from some plastics or pvc is just allowed to escape out into the air, it can be very toxic. And by the way, the by-product is pure carbon black, which is a good thing to use or put back into the environment. My problem is not knowing enough about the different polymers in the various forms of plastics to know which chemicals are the real dangerous toxic ones, if allowed to escape. Because of your background education, could you possibly list the various plastics and the types of potential toxic chemicals they could produce if allowed to off-gas? Any educational information about these different types of plastics and the dangerous chemicals they could produce would be very much appreciated. @jtravis
Celophan is not a plastic-like matterial beacuse it is made from wood maybe you wanted to say Polyethylen.
PVC – is very toxic because Cl. When Cl contact with water (for example in Lungs) it will produce H-Cl – very toxic acid and will damage organs. thats why it is not recomended to work with PVC in DIY projects.
@mathijsstroober Nice work with the chart really complete, I would also add the average price for recycled materials just as a reference
Hi Friends!
I’m working in a project to recycle a multilayer bags used to food packaging and more..
The problem is that when I try to melt it, it doesn’t work properly because some part melt good and other just burned.. Do you have any ideas how to fix this?
Thanks!
Hello marcelozp!
I am building the machines to recycle polycarbonate lenses into square molds to use as floor tiles. Are there any potential dangers when grinding/melting polycarbonate? Harmful gases? Thanks!
What do you know about ?
I heard the oxo degradable plastic is not good.
Im working on helping restaurants go to alternatives.
Thanks,
Andrea
Hi marcelozp,
Am Moraa from Kenya. Am trying to work with PET plastics but i find it so brittle. What can you make out of it, the melting temperatures and any information that can help please.
Many thanks.
thanks that info help me a lot in plastic classification. Dave, thanks for your help. Earth proud of you.
I am interested in to recycle ABS, it is possible wiht the precious plastic machines?
thanks
Does anyone have experience with shredding ABS from printers/copiers? jtravis recycled some of those ABS cases with a wood chipper but I wonder how well that goes with the precious plastic shredder. I have piles of it at my school but these things are quite hard. I suppose much depends on the power of the engine..
About identifying plastic types.
This is from “User’s Guide to Plastic”, a book that is used in plastic related education.
Identifying plastic types by burning.
Material – Type of fire – Odor
ABS – Yellow flame with black smoke, drips – Very characteristic for ABS
PA-Nylon – Blue flame with yellow top, melts and drips with transparent and very fluid drops – Burnt wood
PC-Polycarbonate – Yellow flame with smoke, melts and chars
PE-Polyeten – Blue flame with yellow top, transparant drops that burns – Candles
POM-Acetalplastic – Blue flame without smoke – Ammonia
PP-Polypropen – Blue flame with yellow top, swells and drips – Sweet/Wool
PS – Yellow flame, with black sooting smoke – Citygas (?)
PVC – Yellow flame with green edges, softens – Sulphuracid
SAN – Yellow with black sooting smoke
Hi, did anyone has an experience with HDPE? I would like to know about mechanical properties of recycled HDPE in comparison with virgin HDPE. Thanks.
I would also like to know as i will be doing a DIY project. Currently I have empty HDPE bottles and mostly (detergent bottles or oil bottles). Thank you!
Hi @Mathijsstroober,
Thanks for sharing these graphics! Curious if you have worked with or know any resources you could suggest for learning about turning a recycled plastic into a dense foam? I’d love to make or source a recycled plastic that is stiff but elastic enough to take some rough handling without fracturing.
Thanks for any help!
Josh
@plasticinabackpack,
Unfortunately, it dense foam is made by thermossetting plastics and therefor not recyclable. It is not possible to make ‘foamy’ plastics with recyclable types.
HDPE does meet your requirements and is perfect for products like mallets, hammers etc
@Mathijsstroober,
Thanks for the fast response, perhaps HDPE is the best material for my application! I’m making a wood frame backpack, however, the wood-to-wood glue joints seem to be the weak point. I thought that replacing the wood cross-members with a relatively stiff polymer (with an elastic range) might be the best option to prevent fractures from stress or big drops.
Any ideas on the best ways to learn about and get hands on experience with the PE’s?
@plasticinabackpack
Meting PE bags in an regular oven is relatively safe to try with. Also ironing bags in many layers together can create stiff blocks of PE
@mathijsstroober,
Great ideas, Thanks again!! I’ll dig into some experiments 🙂
So im new to plastic but i have a question. How are some companies making blocks or construction materials with out separating the plastic?
HDPE grind / flake / scrap
Hi im Stephen from Indonesia Plastic,
We are professional Plastic Supplier with experience more than 5 Years
Here are my product details :
Product
: HDPE regrind, Clean, not mixed
Available Colour
: Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Cream
Available Quantity / month
: 1000 Metric Tons
Regular Customer
: European and South American Countries
Size
: 10 – 12 mm or As Requested
Price
: 900 USD / MT, exwork Jakarta – Indonesia
Minimum Order
: 1 container / 25 MT
Contact Person
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Looking forward to hear good news from you.
Thank you.
Hi guys, just wanted to know if PP, PE and/or PS were suitable for 3D printers
Does the plastic strength decreases after melting or are there other material which are mixed with the plastic to maintain its strength.
If you want to know anything about HDPE here’s an extremely comprehensive page including history, application, recycling, research etc. https://provprocure.com/hdpe-high-density-polyethylene/
Just found this website with more information and thought that it might be of use to some people : https://www.boedeker.com/Technical-Resources/Technical-Library/Plastic-Identification
Hello All,
A little help please. I am wanting to understand thermoplastics/thermosets and wonder if they can be recycled and reused with the precious plastic method.
Long story short, where I work we accumulate a lot of plastic toys and kitchenware – which I am told are generally made of thermoplastics and/or thermosets. I would really like to get the big boss on board with precious plastics in order to make a change to our plastic waste, but quickly realise I have no knowledge in this area.
Any help or information would be HIGHLY appreciated.
Thank you so much!! 🙂
@mathijsstroober those charts are great! I was wondering if you have published them anywhere else, and if they can be shared on a website with credit to you?
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