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Kinetics of diffusion of a pollutant from a recycled polymer through a functional barrier: Recycling plastics for food packaging
Author(s) -
Feigenbaum A.,
Laoubi S.,
Vergnaud J. M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19971017)66:3<597::aid-app22>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - diffusion , food packaging , polymer , pollutant , thermal diffusivity , materials science , diffusion barrier , phase (matter) , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , food science , layer (electronics) , physics
Recycled polymers containing a pollutant can be used for food packaging if the food is protected by a functional barrier made of virgin polymer. The mathematical treatment of the diffusion of pollutant through the packaging is established when the diffusivity is constant and when there is no transfer through the packaging‐food interface. A functional barrier not only reduces but also delays migration during a lag phase. An increase in the relative thickness of the functional barrier dramatically increases its efficiency. Practical examples are presented. The difficulties of control of migration through functional barriers are pointed out. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 597–607, 1997