Techniques for converting plastic bags to a recyclable form are described. In some implementations, a device includes an outer container having an outer lid, an inner container situated within the outer container having an opening, and one or more heating elements. The inner container has an inner lid configured to cover the inner container's opening, and the outer lid of the outer container is configured to close over the inner lid. In response to a user input to the device, a conversion cycle is initiated in which electric power is supplied to one or more heating elements so that the one or more heating elements raise the inner container's internal temperature to a target temperature and maintain the inner container's internal temperature at a minimum of the target temperature for a predetermined conversion time sufficient to convert one or more plastic bags within the inner container to a recyclable plastic block.

A method of recycling a mixed plastic waste comprising plastics having different melting temperatures includes conveying the mixed plastic waste through an extruder such that at least some of the higher melting point plastic is passes through the extruder without melting and is present in the extrudate as solid material.

A method of joining overlapping thermoplastic roofing membrane components in which a first thermoplastic roofing membrane component and a second roofing membrane component are positioned in overlapping relationship between a pair of complementary molding surfaces. Heat is generated in a metal substrate and transferred by thermal conduction from the metal substrate to overlapping portions of the first and second thermoplastic roofing membrane components to locally melt and coalesce a portion or more of the thermoplastic material of the first thermoplastic roofing membrane component and a portion or more of the thermoplastic material of the second thermoplastic roofing membrane component. The molten thermoplastic material of the first and second thermoplastic roofing membrane components forms a zone of coalesced thermoplastic material that, upon cooling, forms a solid weld joint.

A method of joining overlapping thermoplastic roofing membrane components in which a first thermoplastic roofing membrane component and a second roofing membrane component are positioned in overlapping relationship between a pair of complementary molding surfaces. Heat is generated in a metal substrate and transferred by thermal conduction from the metal substrate to overlapping portions of the first and second thermoplastic roofing membrane components to locally melt and coalesce a portion or more of the thermoplastic material of the first thermoplastic roofing membrane component and a portion or more of the thermoplastic material of the second thermoplastic roofing membrane component. The molten thermoplastic material of the first and second thermoplastic roofing membrane components forms a zone of coalesced thermoplastic material that, upon cooling, forms a solid weld joint.

This invention relates in general to a multilayer tube and methods of making the same. In particular, this invention relates to a multilayer tube used as a riser, such as those that may be connected to shutoff or “stop” valve on one end and a plumbing hook-up to the other end. The multilayer tube comprises a first inner polymer layer and a second outer polymer layer, wherein the first and second polymer layers are not substantially bonded to each other. To facilitate use, the tube may additionally comprise one or more overmolded components, such as pipe connectors, plumbing connections, plumbing fittings, valve connectors and appliance connectors. The layers are not substantially bonded.

High density polyethylene compositions having a high flow index and a bimodal composition provides an outstanding combination of processability, stiffness and ductility in rotomolded articles. The compositions have a low relative elasticity (G′/G″, measured at 0.05 rad/sec) of less than 0.03.

A closure may have a top wall and a side wall depending from the top wall. A plug seal device may depend from said top wall within the side wall. The plug seal device may have an upper section, a lower section, and a sealing section proximate the boundary between the upper section and the lower section. The sealing section is operable such that when the plug seal device is inserted in an opening to an inner cavity in a container, the sealing section engages with an inner container surface to provide a seal between an inner cavity of the container and the external environment.

Disclosed is a fiber-reinforced composite and methods and apparatuses for making the same. Some fiber-reinforced composites include a matrix material including a thermoplastic material and a non-woven fibrous region having a plurality of continuous fibers dispersed in the matrix material, wherein the width and the length of the non-woven fibrous region are substantially equal to the width and the length, respectively, of the liber-reinforced composite, wherein the non-woven fibrous region has a mean relative area fiber coverage (RFAC) (%) of from 65 to 90 and a coefficient of variance (COV) (%) of from 3 to 20, and wherein each of the plurality of continuous fibers is substantially aligned with the length of the fiber-reinforced composite.

A method of producing a thermoplastic resin composition containing a thermoplastic synthetic resin and a cellulose, in which at least one type of the thermoplastic synthetic resin is a resin having a group containing a partial structure of an acid anhydride in the polymer molecule; a molded article of a cellulose-reinforced resin; and a method of producing a molded article of a cellulose-reinforced resin.

There is provided a polymer fabrication method for forming 3-dimensional shapes from a sheet polymer blank (10) by machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion (25) permitting the blank to be folded and having opposed edges (12) at the surface, folding the blank about the groove to form at least a portion of the 3-dimensional shape, the re-entrant of the groove forming an elongate chamber (21) adjacent the reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap (20) between the opposed edges, hot air welding the opposed edges across the gap with filler rod (22), and heating the reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature via the chamber.