Speaker
Description
In response to the Philippines’ growing plastic waste problem, the Depart-ment of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Insti-tute (DOST-ITDI) developed a 1-hp Electric Plastic Densifier (EPD) that employs mechanical recycling through extrusion to process low-value plas-tic wastes and produce densified plastic strings. Due to its novelty, there is a need to study its technical performance, environmental impacts and mar-ketability. This study aims to assess the EPD by monitoring its operation, characterizing its densified strings outputs using ASTM standards, and evaluating its environmental impact using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Four test cases of post-consumer low-density polyethylene (LDPE) waste were evaluated: bubble wrap (BW), parcel bags (PB), stretch film (SF), and mixed (M) samples. The samples underwent collection, sorting, cleaning, shredding and extrusion. Results show that the densified products’ density, Charpy impact strength, tensile properties, and flexural properties deviate from the typical range for commercial LDPE pellets. ANOVA results indi-cate that the type of LDPE waste significantly affects the properties tested, except for the melt flow index (MFI) and tensile strength. Gate-to-gate LCA shows that the EPD presents greater environmental impacts compared to landfill disposal. Results may vary if product usage is considered. Recy-cling mixed LDPE waste into densified strings presents less environmental impact than recycling a single type of LDPE. The extrusion process con-tributes the greatest due to its high electricity consumption. This study fills the gap in the environmental, product, and technical aspects of the opera-tion of the EPD which are useful for the design modifications of the EPD.
