Getec Laboratory analyzes rPET

Throughout its production, use and recycling, polyethylene terephthalate’s (PET’s) quality can be compromised because of thermal degradation, the presence of solid contaminants and nonintentionally added substances (NIAS) and discoloration that alters its appearance.

Chemical analysis techniques can help monitor and control the quality of PET polymers, packaging and textile products, and Getec Laboratory, based in the Netherlands, says it has introduced new methodologies for measuring the particle size distribution of solid particles in PET and nonvolatile NIAS.

For optimal food safety in recycled PET, or rPET, packaging, detecting NIAS is essential, Getec says. Detecting nonvolatile NIAS can be more challenging than detecting volatile NIAS, but Getec Laboratory says it has created a new dissolution-precipitation analysis method using liquid chromatography to identify nonvolatile NIAS in rPET. This method detects four-to-six times more nonvolatile NIAS than its in-house extraction method.

For optimal yarn quality in rPET-based textiles, the lab’s partisol analysis measures the particle size distribution of solid contaminants in PET. Postconsumer rePET flakes and pellets often contain up to 113,000 and 20,000 particles, respectively, with sizes ranging from 1 micrometer to 100 micrometers. Higher solid content in rPET increases the likelihood of filament breakage during melt spinning. The partisol analysis provides insights into which rPET feedstocks could lead to more or less filament breakage, potentially preventing unexpected production losses and reducing costs, Getec Laboratory says, adding that it also can enhance the mechanical properties of the yarn.

Those interested in learning more can visit Getec Laboratory at the Plastics Recycling Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, at Booth No. 422 from March 24-26 or email laboratory@getec-park.nl.

Getec Laboratory, part of the Getec Group, headquartered in Magdeburg, Germany ,has performed polymer analyses primarily on PET since 1955.