On Tertiary Recycling of PVDF with Reinforcement of Waste Dry Cell Components

Commercially dry cells are being used extensively both for domestic and industrial applications, and their disposal is also a challenge for solid waste management. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thermoplastic-based functional parts are also in high demand for electronic gadgets, touch screens, sensors, etc., and their recycling may help in urban mining. Significant studies have been reported on primary (1°) and secondary (2°) recycling of PVDF, but yet less has been testified on its tertiary (3°) recycling. In this study, the 3° recycling of PVDF was performed by reinforcing different chemicals/salts (graphite, MnO₂, ZnCl_2, and NH₄Cl) recovered from waste dry cells used in domestic applications. The composition/proportion of different reinforcements in a 3° recycled PVDF composite matrix was ascertained based on the melt flow index (MFI) for its possible 3D printing using fused filament fabrication (FFF). Finally, the mechanical and dielectric properties of 3° recycled PVDF composites were observed based on X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The results suggest that the proposed 3° recycled PVDF composite matrix may be used for sensing applications due to the formation of the β phase.