Is rPET OK for Hot-Fill Bottles?
Up to 50% recycle does not affect necessary properties, study finds.
Yes, as long as the recycled proportion does not exceed 50%. That’s according to a new study by Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI), Holland, Ohio. “Even at 100% rPET resin use, the performance of the bottle used in this study was still acceptable,” said Tracy Momany, v.p. of PTI’s product development group. “However, the typically thicker walls of hot-fill bottles may result in slightly more noticeable haze or yellowing than in other applications such as very thin-walled water bottles.” The study used a commercial, 500-ml, 27-g, six-panel hot-fill bottle made of virgin PET and two different rPET resins added at 25%, 50%, and 100% levels. The bottles were tested for hot-fill and topload performance, wall thickness, color, haze, crystallinity, and acetaldehyde (AA) content. All samples passed the standard performance specs for hot-fill bottles. Shrinkage increased slightly with recycled content above 50%, but the bottles remained within spec. The main drawbacks of high rPET content were aesthetic—increased yellowing and haze.
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