Determination of Off-Odors emitted from recycled HDPE

To ensure a sustainable material cycle, used plastic materials undergo a recycling process. These recyclate pellets are often made of used containers, and odor emissions occur repeatedly during the recycling process, making the re-use of the plastic difficult, if not impossible.

Two solvent-free analysis techniques are used to determine the composition of such odors and thus to trace the source. These are thermal desorption with prior air sampling and direct thermal extraction of the plastic.