PMMA Recycling
PMMA Recycling
(Polymethyl methacrylate)
PMMA is (by origin) a clear, colorless polymer used extensively for optical applications. It is available commercially in both pellet and sheet form. Outstanding properties include weatherability and scratch resistance. The most serious deficiencies are low impact strength and poor chemical resistance. Common trade names of acrylic include Plexiglas ®, Lucite ®, and Acrylite ®.
When it comes to making windows, PMMA has another advantage over glass. PMMA is more transparent than glass. When glass windows are made too thick, they become difficult to see through. But PMMA windows can be made as much as 13 inches (33 cm) thick, and they're still perfectly transparent. This makes PMMA a wonderful material for making large aquariums, with windows which must be thick in order to contain the high pressure of millions of gallons of water.
There are several ways to recycle PMMA. Often these recycling processed involve the procedure of pyrolysis. Monomer can often be recovered from PMMA scrap by depolymerisation. For many years, PMMA has been successfully depolymerised by contact with molten lead at about 500° C.; the monomer MMA can be obtained in a purity of more than 98%.
Although this process gives MMA of high purity, the use of lead is undesirable, from an environmental viewpoint. Further, small amounts of lead as a contaminant are extremely difficult to remove from the monomer, reducing the range of commercial products for which the recovered monomer is acceptable. Higher purity would be desirable, and in particular substantial freedom from byproducts such as methyl isobutyrate which is nonpolymerisable, smelly and difficult to separate from MMA.
Therefore, now new recycling procedures are being tested (and commercially used in practice) to be able to recycle PMMA much better. As PMMA is a plastic type which is being used more and more, much is to be expected from newly invented recycling methods of this plastic material.
Heathland searches to recycle plastics, including PMMA, in ways that are best suitable for people and environment. Recycling happens in-house and at partner companies in Europe and/or Asia. Since the market for plastic recycling is very international, often it is difficult to keep track of how and where scrap plastics are recycled. Heathland works with partners who are qualified, have sufficient certification, and have set quality standards for the circumstances in which plastic materials are processed. This way, the company can keep as much control as possible on the circumstances in which it’s plastics are recycled. If you are interested in this way of recycling, whether your company is a collector, manufacturer, servicer or end-user, please contact us for possibilities.