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1997
Journal Article
Titel
Studies on Contamination of Post Consumer Plastics from Controlled Resources for Recycling into Food Packaging Applications
Alternative
Untersuchungen zur Kontamination gebrauchter Kunststoffe aus kontrollierten Rückläufen im Hinblick auf eine Wiederverwendung in der Lebensmittelverpackung
Abstract
Recycled materials reclaimed from controlled used food packaging material of the polymer types HDPE, PP, PS and PET were investigated with respect to their constituents. A study was designed as a comparison between virgin and recycled material to detect and identify recycling specific substances. As a general result, qualitatively and quantitatively, only a few contaminanats were found. According to the intrinsic diffusivity of the investigated polymers, the impurification grade increased from PET to PS and to PP and HDPE. Most of the detected contaminants are aroma compounds and can therefore be linked with the foodstuffs contained in the package at the first usage. Furthermore, other contaminants like phthalates and paraffins were detected which are known as widespread impurifications. But they can have also entered the material by commingling with other polymers. In the odour test all recycling materials are identified because of their slight musty smell. For a direct food contact t hese materials would not be in compliance with the food laws. For an indirect use, e. g. buried by a virgin layer, the contamination risk of foodstuffs can be excluded applying the available knowledge of migration theory. In order to control the migration out of such materials at threshold-of-regulation concept is desirable, analogous to the corresponding FDA regulation.
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Die Untersuchung, die als Vergleich zu Neuware angelegt war, ergab qualitativ und quantitativ nur wenige Unterschiede. Generell wiesen PET-Recyclate die geringsten Verschmutzungen auf. Gemäß dem Diffusionsverhalten der untersuchten Polymere konnte eine zunehmende Verunreinigungstendenz von PET über PS und PP nach HDPE festgelegt werden. Im Geruchstest wurden alle Recyclate an ihrem leicht muffigen Geruch erkannt. Für den direkten Lebensmittelkontakt sind die untersuchten Regranulate daher nicht geeignet. Beim indirekten Einsatz dieser sehr gering verunreingten Recyclate, z. B. getrennt vom Füllgut durch eine funktionelle Barriereschicht aus neuwertigem Material, ist aus migrationstheoretischer Sicht das Risiko eines unzulässigen Übergangs in das Lebensmittel in Abhängigkeit von der konkreten Anwendung überschaubar.