Type 1 Pilot Action:
Plastika Skaza d.o.o – Polycarbonate Analysis
Goal: The implementation of recycled polycarbonate is difficult because of high standards required on recycled materials. Only 9% of plastic is recycled with appropriate quality. To analyse the quality of recycled poly-carbonate material used in high demanding applications methods shall be developed and verified.
Approach: Original and recycled samples in the form of pellets or finished products were provided for analysis. Using Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR attenuated total reflection spectroscopy these samples were analysed to evaluate differences between them. In Raman spectroscopy two lasers with different wavelengths were applied and compared to find the optimal signal conditions with least fluorescence. In both methods maps with a set of measurement points were acquired.
Results: In Raman spectroscopy better results were achieved with the 785nm laser, where sharp Raman peaks with low influence of the fluorescence background were visible. Nevertheless, no difference between the original and the recycled PC could be found. FT-IR ATR spectroscopy yields the better and more reliable results with small spectral differences in at least two spectral ranges from 600cm-1 – 900cm-1 and 2900cm-1-2950cm-1.
Involved Partners: CTR/SAL, PCCL