The Effects of the Recycled Polyethylene on the Properties of Special Material Blends for Pipe and Final Products

A detail comparison between recycled polyethylene (RPE) compounds and special material for pipe in respects of mechanical properties, antioxidant performance, metal contents and rheological behaviours was performed. The results showed that the MFR, the content of ash and typical metallic element of blends increased with the RPE component, while the OIT, fracture strain and impact strength tend to decrease. However, for those unused waste PE there's no significant difference in most performance parameters compared with the new ones, especially when the RPE content was lower. In contrast, the content of typical metallic element such as Ferrum (Fe) and Calcium (Ca) can still be a crucial indicator for distinguishing the existence of RPE. Undoubtedly, the test of pipe products proved that the introduction of RPE caused the decrease of pressure resistance and resistance to slow cracking.