Simulating Industrial Recycling of Biodegradable Irrigation Pipe Scraps into Sustainable Monopolymer Blends

Recently, many industries are adopting closed-loop recycling models to recover and reuse production scrap in order to reduce waste, conserve resources, and minimize environmental impact. In this scenario, this paper aims to simulate such a model using biodegradable pipe scrap, with the objective of studying how the concentration of recycled biodegradable pipe scrap affects mechanical and rheological properties and to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. Firstly, irrigation pipes were subjected to multiple extrusions to evaluate their thermal and mechanical stability under repeated processing. Subsequently, blends of virgin polymer and biodegradable irrigation pipe scraps (monopolymer blends) were prepared following an industrial approach. All systems were fully characterized through mechanical and rheological tests. The results obtained showed that multiple extrusions had a significant impact on the mechanical and rheological properties of the pipe, while the presence of reprocessed pipe in the blend only minimally affected the characteristics of the virgin biopolymer, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach.