DEHP migration behavior from excessively plasticized PVC sheets

Abstract

The quantity, process and kinetics of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) migration in the 30/70 and 40/60 poly(vinylchloride) (PVC)/DEHP blends were investigated using gas chromatograph. A thin and flexible PVC sheet was soaked in surrounding medium (SM) of water/ethanol mixture and acetonitrile with constant stirring to release DEHP. By observed concentration of DEHP in the SM, it is found that acetonitrile is more intense in DEHP migration than water/ethanol mixture. In addition the amount of extracted DEHP is proportional to the leaching temperature and added ratio of DEHP. The behavior of DEHP migration from flexible PVC sheets was described by the Ficks's law with 2.72-10.1 × 10-10 cm2/s of the diffusion coefficients.