IDENTIFICATION OF PLASTICS
BY
SIMPLE METHODS
IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES
SIMPLE INSTRUMENTAL
IDENTIFICATION IDENTIFICATION
1. APPEARANCE 1. THERMAL ANALYZER
2. METHOD OF 2. GPC
FABRICATION
3. PENETRATION TO 3. X RAY DIFRACTIOMETER
HOT ROD AND
CUTTING WITH A 4. I. R. SPECTROSCOPY
KNIFE
5. NMR SPECTROSCOPY
4. FLOTATION TEST
5. SCRATCH RESISTANCE
6. COLOUR
7. ODOUR
8. TEAR
9. SOLUBILITY
10. BURNING
CHARACTERISTICS
11. PYROLYSIS
12. MELTING POINT
13. CONFIRMATION TEST
HOW TO IDENTIFY A
PLASTIC ?
Look at the sample. Is it transparent, translucent or opaque?
Feel the sample. Does it bend? Can it be scratched? What does the surface feel
like?
Cut the sample with a sharp knife. Does it cut easily: Are the edge smooth or
jagged? Does it crumble or flake?
Subject the sample to a float test. Does it float or sink? (the test is invalid if
plastic foam. Wash with detergent solution initially to stop air bubbles adhering to
surface.)
Try to burn a small piece of sample. What is the size and colour of flame? Is
smoke produced? Do molten drips fall from sample and continue to burn? Is the
sample self-extinguishing? Is there any odour when flame has been extinguished?
SAFETY: Use only a small sample held with tongs or pliers. Hold sample over a
metal tray. Shift cautiously and not when still ignited.
BENDING TEST ( WITH MOULDED BAR)
PLASTICS BENDING BEHAVIOUR
1. Polyethylene Bends, tends to remain
2. Polypropylene Unbends most of the way
3. Polystyrene Cracks but retains bend
4. ABS Bend tends to remain
5. PVC (Rigid) Bends easily and springs
back quickly
6. Cellulose acetate Bend tends to remain
7. PMMA Cracks and splinters
8. Nylon Difficult to bend, springs back
9. Polycarbonate Tough to bend
THERMOPLASTICS
VISUAL OBSERVATION TEST
Low gloss easily be scratched by nail - LDPE OR LLDPE
High gloss can be scratched by nail - HDPE
High gloss cannot be scratched by nail - PP
DROPPING TEST
When a moulded component is dropped on hard surface
Metallic sound Dull sound
PS, HIPS Cellulosics
SAN, ABS Polyamides
PC, PP S
PTFE,PMMA
PPO Polyacetal
Polysulphone PVC ,
TEST TO DIFFERENTIATE
THERMOPLASTICS AND THERMOSETS
CUTTING TESTS
a) If a shaving can be pared off with knife, it may be a
thermoplastic.
Note:PMMA and Polystyrene are brittle and difficult to pare
b) If the material is rigid and will not pare off instead
flakes of powders, it may probably a thermoset plastic.
HOT ROD PENETRATION TEST
Heat an electronic soldering iron to red hot and press against
the unknown sample.
a) If the plastic material softens, and the rod penetrates
the sample is thermoplastic.
b) If the plastic material does not soften and the rod does
not penetrate, the sample is thermoset plastic.
When the material is dropped in water
Floats Sinks
Polyolefins Other than
Polyolefins
Note: Filled polyolefins and cellular foams are
exceptional for this test.
E.g.Sinks Floats
Talk filled PP PVC , PU
Glass filled PP
and PS foams
PYROLYSIS TEST
HEAT THE SAMPLE IN AN IGNITION TUBE AND TEST THE PYROLYTIC VAPOUR WITH
A MOISTENED INDICATOR PAPER.
ACID : TURNS BLUE LITMUS TO RED
BASE : TURNS RED LITMUS TO BLUE.
ACID VAPOURS
MAY COME FROM CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS & THEIR DERIVATIVES . [E.G.,
CELLULOSE ACETATE]
HIGH ACID VAPOURS
OFTEN INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF CHLORINE . [E.G., PVC OR RUBBER NEUTRAL
VAPORS]
EVOLVED FROM HYDRO CARBON POLYMERS, SILICONES AND SOME POLYESTERS
HYDROCHLORIDE.
ALKALINE VAPOURS
INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF N2 . E.G., POLYAMIDE, PUs, PROTEINS & AMINO
FORMALDEHYDE RESINS.
BURNING CHARECTERISTICS OF
THERMOPLASTICS
S. No. Plastic Flame Kind of Melt Odour
Material Characteristics smoke behaviour
1. PE Blue base yellow tip No smoke Drips Waxy
smell
2. PP Blue base and No smoke Drips Lubricating
yellow tip oil smell
3. PS Orange yellow Black soot No Merry gold
flame (Heavy smoke) dripping smell
4. HIPS -do -do -do- Burning rubber
smell
5. ABS -do -do -do- -do-
Note: ABS & HIPS can be differentiated by detection of Nitrogen by elemental analysis.
6. SAN -do- -do- -do- Merry gold
smell
Note: SAN & PS can be differentiated by detection of present of extra element Nitrogen.
S. No. Plastic Flame Kind of Melt Odour
Material Characteristics smoke behaviour
7. PVC Green edged flame emitting white burnt pungent
self extinguishing fume after edges smell
put off the charing of chlorine
flame
Note: A copper wire is heated to redness and the material is taken by the wire and ignited.
Bright green flame confirms presence of chlorine - PVC
8. Polyamides:
Nylon-6 Blue base yellow No smoke Burned face Burned
tip, spurting self bubbles and hair
extinguishing drips smell
Nylon-6,6 -do- -do- -do -do-
Nylon-6,10 -do- -do- -do- -do-
Nylon-11&12 -do- -do- -do- -do-
Note: The individual type of polyamides can be differentiated by melting temperature and
solubility.
Nylon 11 & 12 will not dissolve in formic acid at room temperature. But Nylon 11 will
dissolve in formic acid at elevated temperature.
S.No. Plastic Flame Kind of Melt Odour
Material Characteristics smoke behaviour
9. Cellulose -do- -do- -do- Rancid
Acetate butter
Butyrate or charred
milk smell
Cellulose Burns vigorously Black Sublimation
Camper
Nitrate with bright yellow smoke like camper smell
10. Polyester (thermoplastics)
PBT & PET Orange yellow flame Sooty Drips Fruity
spurting, self flame smell of
extinguishing ester
Note: Both can be distinguished by measuring melting temperature.
11. PMMA Blue base yellow tip No smoke No driping Fruity
burns continuously but bubbling smell
on the burnt
surface
12. PC Orange yellow flame Black Burnt edge Phenolic
self extinguishing smoke chars smell
(Ink
smell)
13. POM Pale blue flame No smoke Driping Pungent
burns continuously smell of
14. PPS Orange yellow Black No Dripping H2S gas
flame self smoke but charring smell
extinguishing
15. PPO -do- -do- -do- Phenolic
Smell
Note: It can be differentiated with polycarbonate by pyroloising PPO, which emits brown gas
acidic in nature.
16. TPU
MDI based Blue base yellow No smoke Drips like Faint
resin tip burns continuously oil apple
smell
TDI based Yellow flame self Black Drips very -do-
resin extinguishing smoke fast
17. PTFE Does not burn No smoke No dripping Pungent
smell of HF
Note: When heated strongly becomes transparent.
BURNING CHARECTERISTICS OF
THERMOSETS
S. No. Plastics Flame Kind of Odour
Material Characteristics smoke
1. PF Self extinguishing No Charcoal smell
2. UF -do- No Fishy smell
3. MF -do- No -do-
Note: When the moulded component of all the three materials burn in the flame, the burnt surface
slightly swells and cracks.
4. Polyester Burns with orange Black Ester smell
(unsaturated) yellow flame burns smoke
continuously
5. Epoxy -do- -do- Charred flour smell
BURNING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ELASTOMERS
S.No TYPE OF POLYMER COLOUR OF FLAME ODOUR OTHER NOTABLE
& KIND OF SMOKE CHARACTERISTICS
1 POLY BUTYLENE YELLOW, BLUE BASE DISAGREEABLE , CHARS READILY
SMOKY SWEET
2 STYRENE - BUTADIENE BURNS CONTINUOUSLY PUNGENT SMELL OF CHARS , DRY
YELLOW SOOTY STYRENE POWDERY
3 EPDM NO SMOKE ,BLUE BASE WAXY SMELL DRY
YELLOW TIP POWDERY
4 N BR YELLOW SOOTY UNPLEASANT TACKY
5 BUTILE RUBBER (IIR) SMOKE FREE , CANDLE HYDROCARBON MELT &
LIKE SMELL TACKY
6 POLYISOPRENE (NR) YELLOW SOOTY PUNGENT LIKE CHARS &
BURNT RUBBER TACKY
7 POLYCHLOROPRENE (CR) SELF EXTINGUISHING PUNGENT SMELL STRONGLY
YELLOW & SMOKY OF CHLORIN ACIDIC
8 SILICONE RUBBER BURNS CONTINUOUSLY NO ODOUR DRY WHITE
GLOW WITH WHITE SMOKE POWDERY
9 EBONITE SMOKE FREE SULPHUR ODOUR CHARS
READILY
IDENTIFICATION BY PYROLYSIS TEST
• This scheme is useful for identification of CR , NBR , SBR , NR / IR , IIR
type of rubbers
• Test Procedure : Heat strongly 0.5gm of sample in a test tube until sample
begins to decompose and pass the fume in solution I and II and observe
change in colour initially and after heating.(Refer the following table)
SOLUTION - I : Dissolve one gram of p - dimethyl amino benzaldehyde in
5ml of HCl and add 10ml of ethylene glycol. Adjust the density to
0.851 gm /cc. By addition of methanol.
SOLUTION - II : Dissolve 2gm sodium citrate , 200mg of citric acid , 300mg
of bromocresol green and 300mg of metanil yellow in 500ml of water.
COLOUR REACTION WITH SOLUTION - I & II
RUBBER SOLUTION - I SOLUTION II
INITIAL AFTER HEATING
BLANK SOLUTION PALE YELLOW PALE YELLOW GREEN
CR YELLOW PALE YELLOW RED
GREEN
NBR ORANGE RED RED GREEN
SBR YELLOW GREEN GREEN GREEN
NR / IR BROWN VIOLET BLUE GREEN
IIR YELLOW PALE BLUE GREEN GREEN
DROPLET FLOATS
DETERMINATION OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY
OF PLASTICS TEST METHOD ASTM D 792
PROCEDURE:
Weight of empty specific gravity bottle : a gm
Weight of S. G. Bottle + Material : b gm
Weight of the material + S. G. bottle + liquid: c gm
Weight of the S. G. Bottle + Liquid : d gm
Weight of the material (b-a) : e gm
Specific Gravity of the material : exD
(e + d) - c
Where D - specific gravity of the liquid taken for testing
Density of the material:
specific gravity of the material x 0.999 (gm/cc)
DENSITY & MELTING POINT OF PLASTICS
S. NO. POLYMER ABBREVATION DENSITY MELTING
gm/cc POINT Deg. C
I. POLYOLEFINS
1. Low density Polyethylene LDPE 0.91 - 0.92 110
2. High density Polyethylene HDPE 0.94 - 0.96 130
3. Linear low density polyethylene LLDPE 0.91 - 0.93 125
4. High Molecule HDPE HMHDPE 0.94 - 0.97 135
5. Ultra High Molecular HDPE UHMHDPE 0.97 130
6. Polypropylene PP 0.89 - 0.91 160
II. CHLORINATED POLYMERS
1. Poly vinyl chloride PVC 1.38 - 1.41 160 - 220
2. Poly vinyledene chloride PVDC 1.65 - 1.75 190 - 200
3. Chlorinated PVC PVCC 1.44 - 1.47 200 - 210
4. Co-polymer of vinyl chloride & PVC Co VA 1.16 - 1.36 130
Vinyl Acetate
5. Poly vinyl Alcohol PVAI 1.21 - 1.32 218
6. Poly vinyl Acetate PVAc 1.17 - 1.26 175
III. FLUORINATED POLYMERS
1. Polyvinyl fluoride PVF 1.44 200
2. Poly vinyledene Fluoride PVDF 1.76 - 1.771 172
3. Poly chloro tri fluoro ethylene PCTFE 2.10 - 2.20 210
4. Poly Tetra Fluoro ethylene PTFE 2.10 - 2.30 320
IV. POLY STYRENE & CO-POLYMERS
1. Acrylonitrile-Butadiene styrene ABS 1.07 - 1.10 200 - 210
2. Styrene Acrylo nitrile SAN 1.06 200
3. Polystyrene PS 1.04 - 1.07 190
V. POLYAMIDES
1. Nylon 6 PA 6 1.10 - 1.16 215
2. Nylon 66 PA66 1.09 - 1.14 265
3. Nylon 11 PA11 1.04 - 1.10 190
4. Nylon 12 PA12 1.01 - 1.02 180
5. Nylon 6,10 PA6,10 1.07 - 1.09 210
VI. ACRYLIC POLYMERS
1. Polymethamethacrylate PMMA 1.17 - 1.20 190
2. Polyacrylonitrile PAN 1.16 - 1.19 -
VII. ACETAL POLYMERS
1. Polyoxym,ethylene(homo) POM 1.43 175
2. Polyoxymethylene (Co) POM 1.41 163
VIII. ESTERS
1. Polycarbonate PC 1.2 220
2. Poly ethylene terepthalate PET 1.37 255
3. Poly butylene terepthalate PBT 1.32 225
IX. POLYURETHANES
1. Polyurethane (Linear) PUR 1.17 - 1.22 150 - 185
X. CELLULOSIC POLYMERS
1. Cellulose acetate CA 1.25 - 1.35 230
2. Cellulose acetate butyrate CAB 1.15 - 1.25 180
3. Cellulose noitrate CN 1.58 - 1.66 -
4. Cellulose propinate CP 1.20 - 1.24 -
XI. HEAT RESISTANCE POLYMERS
1. Poly phenylene oxide PPO 1.06 262
2. Poly phenylene sulphide PPS 1.35 290
3. Poly sulphone PSU 1.24 260
4. Poly imide PI 1.42 -
5. Poly ether ether ketone PEEK 1.27 335
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