Investigation of the Properties of Recycled PET Materials
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Keywords:
Polyethylene terephthalate, Recycling, Color analysis, Thermo gravimetric analysis, Mass lossAbstract
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste has started to reveal serious economic and
environmental problems. Environmental and economic factors, as well as energy saving problems, have
led to the need for large-scale recycling of pet, it has ceased to be just a trend or a new marketing strategy
to make a profit. Products made from recycled plastic can save capital by 50-60% compared to buying
the same product from pure resin.
This study aims to characterize the physical and thermal properties of recycled polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) materials. Color determination, specific gravity measurements, and thermogravimetric analysis
(TGA) were conducted based on two parallel experimental procedures.
Color analysis revealed that the recycled PET flakes exhibited light tones with a slight blue-green hue.
According to the CIE Lab* color space, the L*, a*, and b* values were determined to be 61.12, -2.24, and -6.68, respectively. Specific gravity measurements indicated that the density of the samples ranged
between 1.35 and 1.40 g/cm³, suggesting that the recycled PET retains properties comparable to virgin
PET and is suitable for reuse. Thermogravimetric analysis showed a mass loss of up to 89% between
approximately 200 °C and 490 °C, indicating a single-stage degradation profile with the maximum
decomposition rate occurring around 430 °C. An endothermic reaction was observed within this
temperature range on the corresponding DTA curve.
In conclusion, this study provides significant data that support the reuse potential of recycled PET in
various industrial applications by assessing its colorimetric, density, and thermal characteristics.
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