Ternary composites from post-consumer waste of polypropylene (PP), high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) were prepared to obtain films of synthetic paper and to evaluate their thermal and mechanical properties. These composites filled with 10, 20 and 30 % wt of CaCO3 were film blown extruded under two conditions of screw rotation: 32 and 51 rpm. The composite film orientation was determined with the parameters along the longitudinal axis (Rl), transverse axis (Rt) and Rl/Rt ratio (Rc). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile and tear strength tests were used to study the thermal and mechanical properties of the films, showing their dependence on composition and orientation degree. Composite films with higher filler concentration exhibited a decreased tensile strength, but a less significant effect on tensile modulus. The tear strength was strongly dependent on the degree of film orientation.
Composites; films; recycling; polypropylene; high impact polystyrene
