Physical properties of virgin-recycled ABS blends: Effect of post-consumer content and of reprocessing cycles

Virgin/post-consumer ABS (pc-ABS) blends were re-processed and re-formed up to threetimes. The effect of pc-ABS content and of reprocessing cycles on the physical propertiesof the prepared blends was evaluated by mechanical tests (tensile, flexural and impacttests) and by rheological and thermo-mechanical measurements. The processability ofpc-ABS blends was not substantially different by that of virgin ABS up to two recyclingsteps even if the third one induced a slightly decrease of viscosity, more remarkable onincreasing the pc-ABS content. The mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of thesamples worsened on increasing the level of pc-ABS and after each reprocessing operationeven if the most relevant decreases were observed after the first recycling.