Knowledge Agora



Similar Articles

Title Quality model for recycled plastics (QMRP): An indicator for holistic and consistent quality assessment of recycled plastics using product functionality and material properties
ID_Doc 27714
Authors Golkaram, M; Mehta, R; Taveau, M; Schwarz, A; Gankema, H; Urbanus, JH; De Simon, L; Cakir-Benthem, S; van Harmelen, T
Title Quality model for recycled plastics (QMRP): An indicator for holistic and consistent quality assessment of recycled plastics using product functionality and material properties
Year 2022
Published
Abstract One of the key challenges for plastics in a circular economy is its degradation during use, washing and reprocessing. The reduced quality of recycled plastic waste leads to its use in inferior applications. This study presents a novel quality model which incorporates degradation, degree of mixing and contaminations. The model estimates a single quality value between 0 and 1 based on the mathematical relationship that uses: 1) a list of material properties, 2) minimum and maximum permissible values per property, 3) an ideal or desired value (or range) for the property and 4) relative importance (or weighing) factor (J) for the property. The quality model for recycled plastic (QMRP) was tested for three different real-life scenarios to evaluate the quality of recycled plastic for applications in food packaging film and toys. The results showed the superior prediction of QMRP in comparison to the existing models, in terms of application-based assessment, inclusion of all aspects of quality, credit allocation to upcycling and the use of a Go/No-go criteria. A single value quality indicator is to be applied in correlation studies, application prioritization for product development, managerial decision making and as a substitution ratio for the allocation of avoided products in life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. The QMRP indicator can be used by the recyclers to assess the quality of its material and strategically position their recycled plastic grades in the market.
PDF

Similar Articles

ID Score Article
24955 Faraca, G; Astrup, T Plastic waste from recycling centres: Characterisation and evaluation of plastic recyclability(2019)
4772 Huysveld, S; Hubo, S; Ragaert, K; Dewulf, J Advancing circular economy benefit indicators and application on open-loop recycling of mixed and contaminated plastic waste fractions(2019)
22937 Schulte, A; Velarde, PAS; Marbach, L; Mörbitz, P Measuring the circularity potential of recycled LDPE based on quantity and quality conservation - a functional requirement matrix approach(2023)
23181 Alassali, A; Picuno, C; Chong, ZK; Guo, JY; Maletz, R; Kuchta, K Towards Higher Quality of Recycled Plastics: Limitations from the Material's Perspective(2021)Sustainability, 13, 23
5644 Olatayo, KI; Mativenga, PT; Marnewick, AL Plastic value chain and performance metric framework for optimal recycling(2023)Journal Of Industrial Ecology, 27, 2
26442 Demets, R; Van Kets, K; Huysveld, S; Dewulf, J; De Meester, S; Ragaert, K Addressing the complex challenge of understanding and quantifying substitutability for recycled plastics(2021)
7009 Khan, MR; Sadiq, MB; Vápenka, L; Volpe, S; Rajchl, A; Torrieri, E Role of quality assessment of the recycled packaging material in determining its safety profile as food contact material(2024)
25707 Venkatachalam, V; Spierling, S; Endres, HJ Recyclable, but not recycled-an indicator to quantify the environmental impacts of plastic waste disposal(2024)
19487 Lase, IS; Bashirgonbadi, A; van Rhijn, F; Dewulf, J; Ragaert, K; Delva, L; Roosen, M; Brandsma, M; Langen, M; De Meester, S Material flow analysis and recycling performance of an improved mechanical recycling process for post-consumer flexible plastics(2022)
22229 Faraca, G; Martinez-Sanchez, V; Astrup, TF Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres(2019)
Scroll