The tripartite cross-border Recy-Polymer project targets thermoplastics recycling and reusing in a cross-border prospect.

1. In a post-consumption plastics deposit massification context, Recy-Polymer project aims to value the materials from PVC, automotive industries and electrical and electronical equipments.

Three European directives are tackled in Recy-Polymer project :

• The 2002/95/CE directive, also known as RoHS (Restri ction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances) aims to forbid the use of hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chrome, polybromobiphenyles (PBB) and polybromodiphenylethers (PBDE) since 1st of jully 2006.

• Beside, as a complement of RoHS directive, the WEEE directive concerns eletric and electronic equipments which will have to content a maximum of 0.1% in weight of lead, mercury, hexavalent chrome, PBB, PBDE and 0.01% of cadmium. From the 15th august 2005, a free recycling system of WEEEhousehold is offered. Distributors aught to salvage the WEEE household on the base of one given back for one one bought, for products on the market after this date. Otherwise, price could be directly impacted to the consumer. For professional WEEE, producers have to insure the collect and the treatment on their own.

• The Third directive concerns out-of-service vehicle (VHU). These must not contain heavy metal, lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chrome, except in predicted cases by the 9th may 2007 order. Vehicles must be built in a way to make easier, when they are destroyed, the dismantling and remediation, or the reemployment and reusing of components and materials. Every manufacturer aught to compensate the cost that can lead to the trade in of a vehicle for a crusher, or aught to take back his own vehicle.

2. Identification and characterization of recycled materials, charges and additives needs classic polymer analyze techniques such as thermal scanning or infrared spectroscopy.

Other more original thechniques are also viewed to be able to joint current regulation. A portable cross-border equipment allow analysis of post-consumption plastic byfluorescence X techniques. And additive extraction system and a pyrolisis GC/MS (integrated system with gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy) complete cross-border means of Recy-Polymer project.

3. The milling of plastic pieces to recycle permit to reduce their size grading. Milling step is necessary to transform plastic waste by extrusion for example.

4. Formulation of milled plastic materials is often necessary to get satisfying final properties. The use of the right additive permit to make compatible some mixtures or permit to limit the degradation of material during processing. After a compounding step during which material is mixted, granules are obtained. During this steph, filters are used to eliminate residual impurities in the recycled material. Injection moulding process enables to prepare standard samples.

5. Evaluation of recycled material properties is perform by Recy-Polymer partners. Several properties are studied depending of the final application : thermal resistivity, dimensional stability, fire behavior, mecanical properties, fire classification, toxicity (heavy metal, halogenated additives...), smells and various emission…

6. Reusing implies the optimization of the formula and processing parameters to elaborate a recycled product with interesting performances for the selected application.