Polyamide recycling

Other effects were more selective. While recycle usually lowered impact strength and heat deflection temperat ire, pre-soaking polyamine recycle surprisingly improved both of these properties. While recycle usually lowered volume resistivity, polyamide recycle improved it. Finally, adhesion of epoxy formulations to the aluminum mold, in spi/ e of wax and silicone mold release agents, was dramatically increased by the use of presoaked recycle, especially in the ai ydrlde system, suggesting unexpected usefulness in epoxy adhesive formulations. 

The recycling of engineering thermoplastics such as polyamides, ABS, and PTEE have been discussed (50). Property degradation as a result of use, recovery, and recycling is a concern. 

Lewis acids, such as the haUde salts of the alkaline-earth metals, Cu(I), Cu(II), 2inc, Fe(III), aluminum, etc, are effective catalysts for this reaction (63). The ammonolysis of polyamides obtained from post-consumer waste has been used to cleave the polymer chain as the first step in a recycle process in which mixtures of nylon-6,6 and nylon-6 can be reconverted to diamine (64). The advantage of this approach Hes in the fact that both the adipamide [628-94-4] and 6-aminohexanoamide can be converted to hexarnethylenediarnine via their respective nitriles in a conventional two-step process in the presence of the diamine formed in the original ammonolysis reaction, thus avoiding a difficult and cosdy separation process. In addition, the mixture of nylon-6,6 and nylon-6 appears to react faster than does either polyamide alone. 

Over 250,000 metric tons of microcrystaUine cellulose have been sold siace its commercialisation ia 1962 and demand continues to iacrease. Its utihty has led to development of other coUoidal polymer microcrystals (see Colloids). For example, polyamides and polyesters from recycled materials can be biodegraded to give microcrystals having a size of 30 nm (37). 

NCRC National Container Recycling PA polyamide (nylon)... 

The majority of polyamides used commercially are nylon-6,6 or nylon-6. The largest supply of waste for recycling of nylons is obtained from used carpets. Approximately 30-40% of die nylon produced in the world is used as carpet face fibers.1 Carpets consist of a multicomponent construction of face fibers and a primary and secondary backing. The face fibers are generally made of... 

Mechanical properties. See also Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of polyamides, 138 of polyester LCPs, 52 of polyurethanes, 242-244 of semicrystalline aromatic-aliphatic polyesters, 45 Mechanical recycling, 208 Medical applications, for polyurethanes, 207... 

Nylon-6,6 monomers, recycling, 544 Nylon-6,6 products, depolymerized, 533 Nylons, 19, 135. See also Nylon PA entries Polyamides (PAs) depolymerization of, 566-571 solvolysis reactions for, 535... 

Recycling, 529-574 closed-loop, 534 history of, 529-531 of urethane materials, 207-208 Reinforced polyamides, 139 Relative viscosity, 161 REPETE, 532 Repolymerization, 559-560 of EG and DMT, 561-562 Research... 

Dissolution/reprecipitation processes were evaluated for the recycling of poly-epsilon-caprolactam (PA6) and polyhexamethyleneadipamide (PA66). The process involved solution of the polyamide in an appropriate solvent, precipitation by the addition of a non-solvent, and recovery of the polymer by washing and drying. Dimethylsulphoxide was used as the solvent for PA6, and formic acid for PA66, and methylethylketone was used as the non-solvent for both polymers. The recycled polymers were evaluated by determination of molecular weight, crystallinity and grain size. Excellent recoveries were achieved, with no deterioration in the polymer properties. 33 refs. 

This fall, the closed-loop Evergreen Nylon Recycling plant will start up in the US, a joint venture of DSM Chemicals North America and AlliedSignal. The facility will recover 45,000 m.t./year of caprolactam by depolymerising the fibres from 100,000 m.t./year of discarded nylon-6 carpets. Meanwhile in Germany, Lurgi is building the Polyamid 2000 AG facility. It will process 120,000 m.t./year of carpet waste and recover 10,000 m.t./ year of caprolactam from nylon-6 carpets and 13,000 m.t./ year of nylon-6-6 from nylon-6-6 carpets. 

For chemical recycling of plastics refuse, a cascade of cycled-spheres reactors was developed which combined separation and decomposition of polymer mixtures by stepwise pyrolysis at moderate temps. In low-temp, pyrolysis, mixtures of PVC, PS and PE or PS, polyamide-... 

CHEMICAL RECYCLING OF NON-WOVEN POLYAMIDE LINING WASTE... 

FIRST POLYAMIDE-6 FROM POST-CONSUMER RECYCLING... 

AlliedSignal s Infinity, Forever Renewable Nylon, prepared by recycling of polyamide-6, is briefly described. The polyamide is treated by depolymerisation, purification of the caprolactam monomer and repolymerisation. The new resin is said to exhibit the same properties as those of virgin polyamide-6. ALLIEDSIGNAL... 

Polymers with hetero-atoms in the chain are suitable for chemical recycling of waste materials. In addition to depolymerisation (nylon 6) and solvolysis (nylon 6,6, PETP, PU) the degradation of aliphatic polyamides with dicarboxylic acids, diamines and cyclic anhydrides, especially trimellitic anhydride, becomes more and more important. The utilisation of the obtained fragments is described. 

Economic and ecological aspects of chemical recycling are examined, and the application of such processes to the recovery of monomers and intermediates from PETP, polyamides, polyurethanes, polycarbonates, unsaturated polyesters, polyacetals, PMMA and PS is discussed. 17 refs. SNIA... 

In the early 1970 s, Bayer et al. reported the first use of soluble polymers as supports for the homogeneous catalysts. [52] They used non-crosslinked linear polystyrene (Mw ca. 100 000), which was chloromethylated and converted by treatment with potassium diphenylphosphide into soluble polydiphenyl(styrylmethyl)phosphines. Soluble macromolecular metal complexes were prepared by addition of various metal precursors e.g. [Rh(PPh3)Cl] and [RhH(CO)(PPh3)3]. The first complex was used in the hydrogenation reaction of 1-pentene at 22°C and 1 atm. H2. After 24 h (50% conversion in 3 h) the reaction solution was filtered through a polyamide membrane [53] and the catalysts could be retained quantitatively in the membrane filtration cell. [54] The catalyst was recycled 5 times. Using the second complex, a hydroformylation reaction of 1-pentene was carried out. After 72 h the reaction mixture was filtered through a polyamide membrane and recycled twice. 

Suitably recycled plastics can have properties that are good enough for many applications, with a noticeable economic advantage. Table 3.22 compares properties of virgin and recycled polyamides. These data are examples only and cannot be considered as representative. 

Ube developed the PA nanocomposite named Ecobesta to replace PVDF or other traditional barrier materials. The all-polyamide structure offers recycling advantages compared to traditional multi-materi designs. It incorporates ... 

Process to make powertrain throttle bodies with recycled polyamide from carpet (Ford with Visteon and Honeywell). 

Some plastic producers market recycled thermoplastics such as polyamides. Table 7.5 (after BASF) shows examples of properties for recycled and virgin polyamides. 

Table 7.5 Neat and reinforced polyamide 6 based on post-consumer recyclate examples of properties...

Epoxy resin was cured with polyamine, polyamide, or anhydride ground to pass a 0.5-mm screen and 20 was recycled into the next batch of virgin resin, either directly or after pre-soaking in the liquid ingredients. When these "filled" resins were cured, hardness was generally higher than for virgin resins. 

For polyamine-cured resin, recycle of presoaked epoxy also increased both impact strength and heat deflection temperature. For polyamide-cured resin, recycle also increased volume resistivity. Pre-soaked recycle dramatically increased adhesion to aluminum, especially in the anhydride system. 

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