3.2. Analysis of PE films
Recovered PE films were analyzed by some techniques. For
instance, the FT-IR spectrum (Fig. 2) of PE films recovered with
xylene showed intense bands at 2916 cm1 (CH2 mas), and
2848 cm1 (CH2 ms) cm1 due to the stretching vibration of alkane
C–H bonds which were assigned to methylene groups present in
the polyethylene linear structure. Moreover, distinctive CH2 bands
at around 1463 cm1 (CH2 scissor) and 720 cm1 ([CH2]n rock)
were observed. However, analogous bands are observed for paraffin
waxes derived from polyethylene degradation (Korkmaz et al.,
2009). For this reason, this analysis technique is not conclusive
to determine composition or purity of PE films.
On the other hand, recovered PE films were analyzed through
DSC and TGA studies focused to determine the thermal stability
and polyethylene content of recovered products and to establish
a comparison with a PE reference commercial product.