Effect of reprocessing on the mechanical properties of poly(butylene- succinate)

The effect of material recycling on the mechanical properties of biodegradable poly-(butylenes-succinate) (PBS) is discussed as one of the environmental pollution-controlling methods using biodegradable plastics. To analyze the relationship between reprocessing and the mechanical properties of PBS, the number of reprocessing cycles was varied, followed by the measurements of the bending strength and the bending modulus of PBS. It was found that even after the fifth cycle of reprocessing, there was no significant change in the mechanical properties of the material. The influence of the cumulative damage caused by hot water on the mechanical properties was also discussed. It was found that the material degraded under non-hydrolysis conditions has recovered its original characteristics by reprocessing. For example, the material degradation caused by absorption of water was slightly healed, partially regaining its original mechanical properties owing to the removal of water during reprocessing. Moreover, the bending strength remained constant after reprocessing of the material degraded by hydrolysis. From the results, it was concluded that the cumulative damage due to the hydrolysis remained unchanged in the material even after reprocessing. It was also concluded that the cumulative damage can be estimated as an integral of the damage during each reprocessing cycle.