ASTM D5577

Recycled plastic materials may contain incompatible plastic or other undesirable contaminants that could affect the processing or quality, or both, of the plastic prepared for reuse. Techniques to separate and identify incompatible plastics, moisture, chemicals, or original product residues, and solid contaminants such as metals, paper, glass, and wood are essential to the processing of recycled plastic materials.

This guide lists existing ASTM and ISO methods plus currently practiced industrial techniques for identification and classification of contaminants in recycled plastics flake or pellets.

1. Scope

1.1 This guide is intended to provide information on available methods for the separation and classification of contaminants such as moisture, incompatible polymers, metals, adhesives, glass, paper, wood, chemicals, and original-product residues in recycled plastic flakes or pellets. Although no specific methods for identification or characterization of foam products are included, foam products are not excluded from this guide. The methods presented apply to post-consumer plastics.

1.2 For specific procedures existing as ASTM test methods, this guide only lists the appropriate reference. Where no current ASTM standard exists, however, this guide gives procedures for the separation or identification, or both, of specific contaminants. lists the tests and the specific contaminant addressed by each procedure.

1.3 This guide does not include procedures to quantify the contaminants unless this information is available in referenced ASTM standards.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Note 1—Although this guide references ISO standards, there is no similar or equivalent ISO standard covering this topic.

2. Referenced Documents

ASTM Standards
D1003 Test Method for Haze and Luminous Transmittance of Transparent Plastics
D1193 Specification for Reagent Water
D1238 Test Method for Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer
D1457 Specification for Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Molding and Extrusion Materials
D1505 Test Method for Density of Plastics by the Density-Gradient Technique
D1898 Practice for Sampling of Plastics
D1925 Test Method for Yellowness Index of Plastics
D3418 Test Method for Transition Temperatures of Polymers by Thermal Analysis
D4019 Test Method for Moisture in Plastics by Coulometric Regeneration of Phosphorus Pentoxide
D5033 Guide for the Development of Standards Relating to the Proper Use of Recycled Plastics
D5227 Test Method for the Measurement of Hexane Extractable Content of Polyolefins
D789 Test Methods for Determination of Relative Viscosity, Melting Point, and Moisture Content of Polyamide (PA)
D792 Test Methods for Specific Gravity (Relative Density) and Density of Plastics by Displacement
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
E1252 Practice for General Techniques for Qualitative Infrared Analysis
E169 Practices for General Techniques of Ultraviolet-Visible Quantitative Analysis
E355 Practice for Gas Chromatography Terms and Relationships
E682 Practice for Liquid Chromatography Terms and Relationships
E794 Test Method for Melting and Crystallization Temperatures by Thermal Analysis
ISO Standards
ISO1183-1987 Methods for Determining the Density and Relative Density of Noncellular Plastics

Index Terms

compression moldings; contaminants; density separations; extrusion; post-consumer plastics; recycled plastics; visual inspection; ICS Number Code 83.080.01 (Plastics in general)

Citing ASTM Standards

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