Comparative Characterization of Recycled ABS, PET, and PA6: An Experimental Study

Pruthi D

Published on: 2025-12-30

Abstract

Recycled polymers often suffer property degradation during multiple reprocessing cycles, limiting their usability in engineering applications. This study presents a simple, low-cost comparative characterization of recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (rABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET), and Polyamide 6 (rPA6) using density, melt flow index (MFI), and Shore D hardness measurements. Each polymer was subjected to three reprocessing cycles through laboratory extrusion. Results showed a consistent decrease in density, a significant increase in MFI, and a moderate reduction in hardness across cycles. rABS displayed the least degradation (density: −1.0%, hardness: −5.3%), whereas rPET and rPA6 showed higher deterioration, particularly in MFI (rPET: 12.3 → 22.4 g/10 min; rPA6: 8.1 → 15.6 g/10 min). The study demonstrates that simple characterization tools are effective for tracking degradation trends and can support recyclability assessment in small laboratories and school-level facilities. These findings provide a methodological framework for polymer recycling education and low-resource characterization.