A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament from recycled polymer. In various embodiments, the method includes: (1) reducing recycled polymer material into polymer flakes; (2) cleansing the polymer flakes; (3) melting the flakes into a polymer melt; (4) removing water and contaminants from the polymer melt by dividing the polymer melt into a plurality of polymer streams and exposing those streams to pressures below 5 millibars; (5) recombining the streams; and (6) using the resulting purified polymer to produce bulked continuous carpet filament.

This application is directed to polymer blends of polyethylene naphthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate, for use in fibers, such as carpet fibers, and other applications. This application is also directed to methods of producing such polymer blends and fibers.

A purging agent that has excellent purging performance without generation of aggregate is disclosed as a purging agent used in a purging operation where a resin to be processed contains a polar group-containing thermoplastic resin. This purging agent contain a hydrocarbon-based resin, and at least one metal salt among an alkaline metal salt and alkaline earth metal salt, has a water content of 0.15% by weight or less, and includes 0.1 to 20% by weight of the metal salt expressed as the metal relative to the hydrocarbon-based resin.

Thermoplastic compositions are described that exhibit resistance to hydrocarbon absorption. Methods for forming the thermoplastic compositions are also described. Formation methods include combining a polyarylene sulfide with a first impact modifier and a second impact modifier such that the impact modifiers are dispersed throughout the polyarylene sulfide. A crosslinking agent can be combined with the other components of the composition following dispersal of the additives throughout the composition to dynamically crosslink at least one of the first and second impact modifiers.

Methods of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprise: (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 (400) while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion (420) of the MRS extruder (400) below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter (450) 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.

Methods of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprise: (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 (400) while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion (420) of the MRS extruder (400) below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter (450) 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 manufacturing pellets from polymer, comprising: (1) melting polymer flakes in a first section of a melt processing unit to create a first single stream of polymer melt; (2) separating the first single stream of polymer melt into multiple streams of polymer melt by means of a separation element; (3) passing the multiple streams through a multiple stream section of said melt processing unit and exposing the multiple streams to a pressure within the multiple stream section of the melt processing unit as the multiple streams pass through the multiple stream section; (4) recombining the multiple streams into at least one combined stream of polymer melt; and (5) cooling the polymer melt and forming said pellets from the at least one combined stream. The intrinsic viscosity of the at least one combined stream may be determined and, in response, the chamber pressure within the multiple stream section adjusted.

A method for manufacturing pellets from polymer, comprising: (1) melting polymer flakes in a first section of a melt processing unit to create a first single stream of polymer melt; (2) separating the first single stream of polymer melt into multiple streams of polymer melt by means of a separation element; (3) passing the multiple streams through a multiple stream section of said melt processing unit and exposing the multiple streams to a pressure within the multiple stream section of the melt processing unit as the multiple streams pass through the multiple stream section; (4) recombining the multiple streams into at least one combined stream of polymer melt; and (5) cooling the polymer melt and forming said pellets from the at least one combined stream. The intrinsic viscosity of the at least one combined stream may be determined and, in response, the chamber pressure within the multiple stream section adjusted.

This application is directed to polymer blends of polyethylene naphthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate, for use in fibers, such as carpet fibers, and other applications. This application is also directed to methods of producing such polymer blends and fibers.

This application is directed to polymer blends of polyethylene naphthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate, for use in fibers, such as carpet fibers, and other applications. This application is also directed to methods of producing such polymer blends and fibers.