DEGRADATION BEHAVIOR OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS FOUND IN AUTO SHREDDER RESIDUE WASTES

The thermogravimetry of a series of 50/50 mixtures of polypropylene, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene, polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane polymers have been studied as representative of the major polymeric materials found in automobile shredder residues. The weight loss behaviour of these polymeric mixes have been compared with the results calculated from the individual polymeric components. This comparison of the thermogravimetry curves and the calculated kinetic parameters indicates that interactions occur between the individual polymers when heated together. The extent of these interactions are dependent upon the polymeric mixtures being considered, but in most cases the changes in the degradation kinetic parameters were not large.