Effect of reprocessing cycles on the degradation of PP/PBAT-thermoplastic starch blends.

The solid waste management problems caused by the accumulation of plastics require measures to mitigate the environmental damage, and mechanical recycling of plastics is among the possible solutions. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of mechanical recycling on the properties of a polypropylene/poly(butylene adipate co-terephthalate)-thermoplastic starch blend (PP/PBAT-Thermoplastic starch blend) when it was subjected to seven reprocessing cycles by a single-screw extruder. The observations by infrared spectroscopy indicated that the chemical structures of the blend and the polypropylene matrix did not present significant changes with the reprocessing cycles.