Polymers plastic recycling

Polymer Plastics Technology and Engineering 38,No.3, 1999,p.471-84 RECYCLING NYLON 6 CARPET TO CAPROLACTAM... 

A pilot plant for the high temperature pyrolysis of polymers to recycle plastic waste to valuable products based on rotating cone reactor (RCR) technology. The RCR used in this pilot plant, the continuous RCR was an improved version of the bench-scale RCR previously used for the pyrolysis of biomass, PE and PP. 9 refs. 

Identification and sorting of plastics in waste materials were reviewed [19,31]. Garbassi [32] has stressed the important role played by polymer analysis and characterisation in plastics recycling. 

Since about 1990 plastics recycling has been a growing and developing business. It is here to stay in one form or another. Collection and separation are the main problems. PET and HDPE by far are the main plastics that are most easily recycled. These two polymers are used as containers and easily reprocessed. Plastic films (especially LDPE) have a potential for recycling increases, but this form of plastic material is not as easily collected and stored. 

P.A. Tarantili, A.N. Mitsakaki, and M.A. Petoussi, Processing and properties of engineering plastics recycled from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), Polym. Degrad. Stab., In Press, Accepted Manuscript, 2010. 

We shall now highlight some successful developments in polymer systems under pressure. We will deal with some applications in production, processing, and the performance of polymers, and plastics recycling. 

The basic course content is typical for an introductory environmental chemistry course (Table 2.2). The syllabus is flexible and is modified to support the research projects. For example, when projects related to recycling are pursued, then topics related to polymers, plastics and paper chemistry are covered in detail. However, when biodiesel was the focus of a laboratory-based project (described below), then less time was spent on recycling-related topics and various organic chemistry topics were added. The syllabus is intentionally flexible and... 

Plastic Packaging Extrusion Technology Polymer Manufacturing Recycled Materials Logistics Services... 

Dr John Scheirs is a polymer research specialist with an emphasis on plastic recycling and pyrolysis of waste plastics into fuels. He serves as a consultant for Ozmotech Australia and has worked on the development of their Thermofuel process which can convert unwashed mixed plastics into low-sulfur diesel transportation fuel. He has studied the pyrolysis of HDPE, PP, PET and engineering plastics. 

John Scheirs is the author of the leading book on plastics recycling entitled Polymer Recycling Science, Technology and Applications published by John Wiley Sons Ltd, Chichester in 1998. He is also a member of the editorial board of the international journal Polymer Degradation and Stabilization, Elsevier Scientific, Netherlands. 

Pyrolysis treatments are interesting regarding the aforementioned plastic refuse makeup. Other successful treatments for feedstock recycling of condensation polymers (PET, ABS, etc.), that allows for the depolymerization and recovery of their constituent monomers (e.g. hydrolysis, alcoholysis, methanolysis, etc.), cannot be applied for polyolefin plastics recycling. In contrast, pyrolysis of polyolefins yields valuable hydrocarbon mixtures of... 

K. Gobin and G. Manos, Polymer degradation to fuels over microporous catalysts as a novel tertiary plastic recycling method, Polym. Deg. Stab. 83, 267 (2004). 

Anon., Plastics recycling struggles for profitability, Chem. Eng., August 23, (1993). M. Heathcote, Back to basics for polymer recychng, Chem. Eng. News, 59, 1556, 28 (1993). 

Thus, for the development of polymer waste recycling technologies it is helpful to be aware of the chemical composition of the pyrolysis products of those polymers which are typical components of plastic wastes. 

Recently the pyrolysis of polymer mixtures has become a focus of interest due to the increasing role of plastics recycling. Many researchers have investigated the thermal decomposition of various polymers in the presence of PVC. Kniimann and Bockhom [25] have studied the decomposition of common polymers and concluded that a separation of plastic mixtures by temperature-controlled pyrolysis in recycling processes is possible. Czegfny et al. [31] observed that the dehydrochlorination of PVC is promoted by the presence of polyamides and polyacrylonitrile however, other vinyl polymers or polyolefins have no effect on the dehydrochlorination. PVC generally affects the decomposition of other polymers due to the catalytic effect of HCI released. Even a few per cent PVC has an effect on the decomposition of polyethylene (PE) [32], HCI appears to promote the initial chain scission of PE. Day et al. [33] reported that PVC can influence the extent of degradation and the pyrolysis product distribution of plastics used in the... 

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