The invention relates to a recycling method for producing a polyolefin recyclate, involving the process of removing contaminants from a contaminated polyolefin material, in which the contaminated polyolefin material is soaked in a solvent in a soaking step in order to dissolve contaminants present in the contaminated polyolefin material in the solvent and to remove the solvent and the contaminants dissolved in the solvent from the polyolefin material. According to the invention, prior to the soaking step, a washing step carried out using water, cleaning agents and/or lye. The contaminated polyolefin material is changed by the soaking/solvent recycling method such that (i) more than 90% of the low-molecular chains of below 2000 daltons are removed or washed out, and the average molecular chain length of the polyolefin recyclate is therefore increased, and (ii) the melt volume-flow rate (MVR) of the polyolefin recyclate is reduced to a specified MVR.

The present invention relates to a process for treating a plastic feedstock comprising polymers, comprising: a) a dissolution step involving placing the plastic feedstock in contact with a dissolution solvent, at a dissolution temperature of between 100 C. and 300 C. and a dissolution pressure of between 1 and 20.0 MPa abs, to dissolve at least a portion of the polymers of the plastic feedstock and to obtain a crude polymer solution; b) a step of washing by placing the crude polymer solution in contact with a dense solution, at a temperature of between 100 C. and 300 C., a pressure of between 1 and 20.0 MPa abs and at a mass ratio between the dense solution and the crude polymer solution of between 0.05 and 20.0, to obtain a washed polymer solution and a washing effluent; and then c) a step of recovering the polymers, to obtain a solvent fraction and a purified polymer fraction. FIG. 1 to be published

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) adding one or more color concentrates to the flakes; (E) passing the group of flakes through an extrusion system while maintaining the pressure within the extrusion system below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (G) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) adding one or more color concentrates to the flakes; (E) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (G) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A method for washing and separating pieces of plastics material from contaminating material that also includes metal elements, comprises the steps of: supplying, to a washing container, a washing fluid, having a first specific weight value , and the pieces of plastics material joined to the contaminating material; driving, in the washing container, a stirring arrangement provided with blades for generating in the washing fluid a turbulent stirring action to remove from the plastics material, through mechanical action, the part of contaminating material adhering thereto. The tilt of the blades and the rotation speed of the stirring arrangement are chosen carefully to generate a thrusting action upwards so as to maintain in a floating condition the plastics material with a specific weight that is greater than the specific weight of the fluid; the force of the thrusting action is limited to a value that is such as not to hinder the downward precipitation of the contaminating metal elements that have a further specific weight value that is greater than the aforesaid second value. The plastics material is retained inside the container for sufficient time to obtain a desired degree of purity and decontamination for the plastics material, after which it is evacuated by controlled overflow. The heavy contaminating material, in particular the metal elements that accumulate on the bottom, are periodically evacuated by a device of valve or pump type. The apparatus for implementing the aforesaid method is also disclosed.

A method for recycling of packaging material is disclosed. The packaging material comprises a multilayer material (10) comprising a metal layer (30) and at least one polymer layer (20, 40). The method comprises placing the packaging material in a vat (310) comprising a separation fluid (330) to produce a mixture of metal shreds from the metal layer (30), plastic shreds from the polymer layer (20, 40) and residual components. The separation fluid comprises a mixture comprising a mixture of water, a short-chained carboxylic acid, phosphoric acid and an alkali metal hydroxide solution.

A process for separation and recovery of waste carpet components, wherein waste carpets are predominantly composed of a face fiber material, a backing material and an adhesive coating which includes latex and filler. Virtually all of the filler, i.e. calcium carbonate, is removed prior to fine grinding and passing the mixture to a high speed centrifuge for separation of the face fiber material from the backing material. A high friction washer is disclosed which separates the face giver material, the backing material and the adhesive coating. The fine grinding of the material to be recycled may be done only once before passing the mixture to the centrifuge by which the loss of the fiber material is highly reduced before its separation into face fiber and backing material and also the life time of the fine grinder and the centrifuge can be prolonged.

A multi-axis variable-speed hot washing module and a hot washing method thereof are provided. The multi-axis variable-speed hot washing module includes a storage assembly, a dehydration assembly, and one or more multi-axis variable-speed hot washing machines, where the multi-axis variable-speed hot washing machine is connected to the storage assembly and the dehydration assembly. Batches of materials are stored in the storage assembly. When cleaning, the materials are put from the storage assembly into one or more multi-axis variable-speed hot washing machines, and medicinal water is added. The multi-axis variable-speed hot washing machine replaces functions of a hot washing machine, a screw, and a friction machine, and has relatively large mechanical friction on the materials during cleaning. The materials after being hot washed by the multi-axis variable-speed hot washing machine are transported to the dehydration assembly for dehydration, so as to implement separation of cleaning water and the materials.

Method for washing a plastics material and for separating contaminating substances therefrom comprises the steps of: supplying a first flow of a washing fluid together with the plastics material with contaminants to a washing container in which a stirrer generates a turbulent action to detach mechanically the contaminants adhering to the plastics material, enabling a first fraction of heavier contaminants to precipitate onto a first bottom portion of the container, thus performing a first action of separating contaminants; transferring a second flow: of fluid with floating plastics material from the container to a first separating chamber, in which a second separating action takes place with the precipitation of a second fraction of the contaminants onto a second bottom portion of the first chamber; conveying a third flow of fluid with floating plastics material from the first chamber to a second separating chamber and evacuating by overflowing an outgoing flow of fluid together with the processed plastics material; in the transit froth the first chamber to the second chamber the agglomerates of floating plastics are disaggregated, and to the third flow and to the plastics material a downward propelling action inside the second chamber is imparted to promote a third separating action with precipitation of a third fraction of the contaminants onto a third bottom portion of the second chamber; removing from the second chamber a recirculation flow comprising precipitated fluid and contaminants and sending the recirculation flow to a screen unit that retains the contaminants, returning the washing fluid to the first or second chamber. The apparatus for implementing the aforesaid method is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a process for recycling waste high density polyethylene (HDPE) materials, which is carried out by thermofusion. Through this recycling process, products having particular qualities are obtained, and laminated products or products in the form of a molded block may be obtained. Said products, in addition to representing a benefit for the environment, exhibit particularities that make them different from virgin raw material products and recycled products, representing a surprising and unexpected technical advantage over those currently available.