High impact polypropylene (HIPP) recycling - Mechanical resistance and Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) case study with improved efficiency by preliminary sensitivity analysis

The use of plastics, in particular Polypropylene (PP), in the automotive industry is growing compared to metals. At the same time, current legislation has led to an increase in the recycling of vehicle parts. This study gives an overview of the influence of recycling on High Impact Polypropylene (HIPP) from both the mechanical and environmental aspects. Contrary to Polypropylene the mechanical qualities of HIPP are decreasing since the first recycling. A significant deterioration is observed since six reprocessing. From the environmental point of view, despite the increase of transports, recycling helps to decrease the impacts of HIPP. The study also focuses on a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, offering an approach that gives a choice between the most important parameters in missing data in order to obtain the most accurate possible results in a more efficient way.