Determination and evaluation of flexural strength and impact, flammability and CTest through DMA, (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) for mixing expanded polystyrene and polypropylene from municipal solid waste

Abstract

The growing generation of urban solid waste versus limited use options that enable reincorporating materials into the production cycle and the use of landfills as the primary destinations of solid waste generated are some of the main priorities of municipal administrations within the comprehensive management of solid waste. An example of this is plastic waste, which contains large quantities of different types of polymers and makes up a considerable percentage of total waste generated. This is the case with expanded polystyrene, that while having alternative uses, ends up being sent to landfills as few municipal administrations choose to implement recovery strategies and methods of this material so it can be reincorporated into the recycling chain, primarily due to its volume-to-weight ratio, which generates low commercialization value. Therefore, this research project sets out to characterize materials through the following laboratory tests: bending strength, impact resistance, flammability and a creep test through DMA (dynamic mechanical analysis) to determine the viability of the mixture and afterwards, design future applications.