Recycling of Polyethylene from The Discarded Copper Cable

摘要

Recycling of used products is desirable from the standpoint of global environmental preservation. As one recycling effort, we performed a feasibility study on recycling the polyethylene used as sheaths for communication metallic cables. We reused them for the same purpose. We removed the polyethylene sheaths from discarded LAP (Laminated Aluminum Polyethylene) sheath cables and reprocessed them into pellets. After evaluating the reprocessed pellets for a number of physical properties, they proved to be perfectly reusable. We also tested the LAP sheath cables made from reprocessed polyethylene pellets, and confirmed that they fully satisfied the mechanical specifications required for general cables. We also examined making plastic drums for communication cables with this type of used polyethylene insulation sheath. Plastic drums made of a blended material of polyethylene reprocessed from insulation coverings and virgin PP(polypropylene) were evaluated. As a result of the evaluation, though they were inferior to general-purpose plastic drums in their physical properties, they proved to be perfectly functional in the field.