A system comprising: (1) a grinding unit configured to receive and grind recycled PET bottles into a group of polymer flakes comprising up to about ten percent colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes; (2) a washing unit configured to wash the group of polymer flakes; and (3) an extruder configured to extrude material in a plurality of different extrusion streams. The extruder may be further configured to: (1) receive a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the polymer flakes and a color concentrate; (2) melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt; (3) reduce a pressure within the extruder; and (4) pass the polymer melt through the extruder so that the polymer melt is divided into the plurality of extrusion streams. The system may then filter the polymer melt through at least one filter and form the polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

Various measures increase the cooling effect on a planetary roller extruder section/module. Those measures include a choke being arranged at an outlet of the planetary roller extruder section or module, a distance between centerlines of adjacent planetary spindles being at least equal to an outer diameter of the planetary spindles, providing a pressurized melt supply, having a cooling section composed of several sections/modules, providing at least one section/module in which a flow, during melt supply is converse to the conveying direction of the extruder, and providing cooling tubes arranged within the central spindle.

Various measures increase the cooling effect on a planetary roller extruder section/module. Those measures include a choke being arranged at an outlet of the planetary roller extruder section or module, a distance between centerlines of adjacent planetary spindles being at least equal to an outer diameter of the planetary spindles, providing a pressurized melt supply, having a cooling section composed of several sections/modules, providing at least one section/module in which a flow, during melt supply is converse to the conveying direction of the extruder, and providing cooling tubes arranged within the central spindle.

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) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) 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) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

Provided is a method for producing a water-absorbing resin powder excellent in water absorption speed. The method for producing a water-absorbing resin powder includes a polymerization step of polymerizing an aqueous monomer solution to obtain a crosslinked hydrogel polymer and a gel-crushing step of crushing the crosslinked hydrogel polymer after the polymerization step using a gel-crushing device to obtain a crosslinked particulate hydrogel polymer, in which the gel-crushing device includes an input port, a discharge port, and a main body incorporating a plurality of rotation axes each including a crusher, and in the gel-crushing step, the crosslinked hydrogel polymer is continuously put into the input port and the crosslinked particulate hydrogel polymer is continuously taken out from the discharge port, the crosslinked hydrogel polymer to be put into the input port has a rate of polymerization of 90 mass % or more, a gel-crushing coefficient is 0.020 J/g.Math.sec or more and 3.0 J/g.Math.sec or less, and the crosslinked particulate hydrogel polymer discharged from the discharge port has a mass average particle diameter of 500 m or less as converted to a solid content.

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) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) 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) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

In particular embodiments, a process for producing bulked continuous carpet filament from recycled polymer utilizes two vacuum pumps (140A, 140B) in combination with a single extruder (100). In various embodiments, the dual vacuum arrangement (e.g., at least two vacuum pumps (140A, 140B)) operably coupled to the single extruder (e.g., MRS extruder (100)) may be configured to remove one or more impurities from recycled polymer as the recycled polymer passes through the extruder.

In particular embodiments, a process for producing bulked continuous carpet filament from recycled polymer utilizes two vacuum pumps (140A, 140B) in combination with a single extruder (100). In various embodiments, the dual vacuum arrangement (e.g., at least two vacuum pumps (140A, 140B)) operably coupled to the single extruder (e.g., MRS extruder (100)) may be configured to remove one or more impurities from recycled polymer as the recycled polymer passes through the extruder.