{rfName}
In

Indexed in

Citations

77

Altmetrics

Analysis of institutional authors

Juan, RAuthorRobledo, NAuthorParedes, BAuthorGarcia-Munoz, RaCorresponding Author

Share

September 27, 2022
Publications
>
Article
No

Incorporation of recycled high-density polyethylene to polyethylene pipe grade resins to increase close-loop recycling and Underpin the circular economy

Publicated to: Journal Of Cleaner Production. 276 (124081): 124081- - 2020-12-10 276(124081), DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124081

Authors: Juan, Rafael; Dominguez, Carlos; Robledo, Nuria; Paredes, Beatriz; Garcia-Munoz, Rafael A

Affiliations

Rey Juan Carlos Univ, ESCET, Grp Environm & Chem Engn, GIQA, Tulipan St, Madrid 28933, Spain - Author
Rey Juan Carlos Univ, Polymer Technol Lab, LATEP, Tulipan St, Madrid 28933, Spain - Author

Abstract

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the most used and demanded plastic, not only for packaging, but also for construction and within this application especially for non-pressure and pressure pipes, which makes this material the most abundant in the municipal waste stream. On the basis of the Circular Economy and the sustainable life that promotes, it is important to explore new applications for recycled HDPE (rHDPE) to increase the polymer recycled uptake. However, recycled HDPE is not currently being used in pressure pipes, mainly due to the high structural and loading requirements that must be met. The present study evaluates the potential use of post-consumer rHDPE from different origins in the manufacture of polyethylene pressure pipes. Different rHDPE sources are blended in different ratios with raw HDPE with PE100 grade quality. Blends are fully characterized to determine their feasibility to be used for pipe applications. Properties such as tensile strength at yield, elongation at break and flexural modulus for all blends yield values above the minimum required for PE100 grades. Furthermore, two important mechanical properties of polyethylene pipes, Slow Crack Growth (SCG) and Rapid Crack Propagation (RCP) resistances, are deeply evaluated. Remarkably, a dual correlation of SCG and RCP with the content of recycled PE in blends was established, allowing to develop predictive capabilities that guarantee the requirements and specifications for pressure pipe applications. Finally, through the evaluation of different waste streams, it can be concluded that handling, sorting, separation and selection of polyethylene's waste is critical to achieve the required pipe specifications, and to increase the percentage of post-consumer rHDPE into the final product. This investigation is in line with the sustainability objective and the commitment to boost the circular economy by replacing part of the conventional HDPE raw material with recycled HDPE to increase close-loop recycling on PE for pipe application, and the basis for the recycling of rHDPE from pipe at its end-life, after 50 years in service. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Aliphatic compoundsBlendsCircular economyCopolymersCrack propagationCracksElongation at breakFractionationHdpeHigh density polyethylene(hdpe)High density polyethylenesHigh-density polyethylene (hdpe)Linear polyethylenePe100 gradePipe specificationsPlastic pipePlastic recyclingPolyethylene pipesPredictive capabilitiesPressure pipe applicationsPropagationRapid crack propagationRecycled polyethyleneSlow crack growth (scg)Slow crack-growthSpecificationsSustainability objectivesTensile strength

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Journal Of Cleaner Production due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2020, it was in position 3/44, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Green & Sustainable Science & Technology. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 1.32. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 13, 2025)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

  • Weighted Average of Normalized Impact by the Scopus agency: 1.35 (source consulted: FECYT Mar 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-12-15, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 35
  • Scopus: 39

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-12-15:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 154.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 153 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 5.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 2 (Altmetric).

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Juan Rodríguez, Rafael) and Last Author (García Muñoz, Rafael Ángel).

the authors responsible for correspondence tasks have been and García Muñoz, Rafael Ángel.