Investigation of the mechanical properties of polymer based on Tetra Pak waste

This study aims to develop and analyze the mechanical properties of a composite material made from carton packaging, with its composition being 100% waste, thus eliminating the addition of resin or fiber, making it an accessible and low-cost composite. The carton packaging is cleaned, cut into board shapes and then formed. Carton packaging, made of low-density polyethylene, aluminum and paper, was created to store and preserve food characteristics for extended periods without the need for refrigeration during storage and transport. Additionally, being lightweight, it facilitates product transportation. Due to the fact that carton packaging consists of multiple layers of different materials, and its demand for recycling is lower due to the detailed recycling process, which can lead to improper disposal in the environment. This type of material is a typical low-value municipal solid waste (MSW) in the recycling market, and it is rarely investigated. Based on these experimental results, it is proposed an analytical model to describe the tensile and the flexural behavior. The models allow the estimation of the stress versus strain curves for any strain rate within specific limits epsilon(center dot)min\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\varepsilon }}_{\text{min}}$$\end{document} and epsilon(center dot)max\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\varepsilon }}_{\text{max}}$$\end{document}. For tensile tests, epsilon(center dot)min=0.0000333s-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\varepsilon }}_{\text{min}}= 0.0000333 {\text{s}}<^>{-1} $$\end{document} and epsilon(center dot)max=0.00333s-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\varepsilon }}_{\text{max}}=0.00333 {\text{s}}<^>{-1}$$\end{document}. For flexural tests, epsilon(center dot)min=0.0000417s-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\varepsilon }}_{\text{min}}= 0.0000417 {\text{s}}<^>{-1} $$\end{document} and epsilon(center dot)max=0.00417s-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\varepsilon }}_{\text{max}}=0.00417 {\text{s}}<^>{-1}$$\end{document}. Since carton packaging is disposable after use, it is extremely important to find ways to reuse the waste, aiming to increase its recycling and develop a composite that is useful to society.