The aim of this study was to develop a polyethylene/polyamide (R-PE/R-PA) regranulated product made from post-consumer wastes grafted with polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MAH) by reactive extrusion in a twin-screw extruder equipped with an external mixing zone. The compatibility effect of PE-g-MAH used as a modifier in R-PE/R-PA blends was evaluated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), while the analysis of the chemical structure of this blend was carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The thermal properties, complex viscosity, and selected usage properties of R-PE/R-PA blends compatibilized with PE-g-MAH, i.e., density and water absorption, were evaluated. The morphology of the blends with and without the compatibilizer was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The R-PE/R-PA/MAH blend shows heterogenic structure, which is a result of the chemical reaction in reactive extrusion between functional groups of PE-g-MAH used as modifier and the end groups of R-PA6. The results show that the R-PE/R-PA blend with increased PE-g-MAH content showed increased hardness, stiffness, and ultimate tensile strength due to the increased degree of crystallinity. The increase in crystallinity is proportional to the improvement of the mechanical properties. Moreover, it is shown that 1 wt.% PE-g-MAH added to the R-PE/R-PA waste blend increases the interfacial interactions and compatibility between R-PE and R-PA, resulting in decreased polyamide particle size. Finally, the results show that it is possible to produce good quality regranulated products with advantageous properties and structure from immiscible polymer waste for industrial applications.
Keywords: compatibility; extrusion; physical properties; plastics waste; polyethylene/polyamide blends; recycling; structure.