Chemical recycling of reclaimer flake reject

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023183441-A1
Application number	US-202117996003-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 13, 2021
Priority date	Apr 13, 2020
Publication date	Jun 15, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Processes and facilities for using one or more PET-containing materials as a feedstock to a chemical recycling facility, and in particular a solvolysis facility, are provided herein. The PET-containing materials used as feedstock may comprise a quantity of PET and PVC-containing reclaimer flake reject. The PET and PVC-containing reclaimer flake reject may be derived from various plastic reclaimer separation processes, including density separation. Such flake reject materials are generally undesirable or unusable to mechanical PET recycling facilities due to the PVC content, and typically are sent to landfills and/or incinerators. However, the processes and facilities described herein make use of the PET and other plastics present in these otherwise undesirable or unusable flake reject materials.

First claim

1 . A method of recycling a plastic waste comprising:
(a) feeding a quantity of PET and PVC-containing reclaimer flake reject separated from said plastic waste to a chemical recycling facility; and (b) depolymerizing in said chemical recycling facility at least a portion of said PET- and PVC-containing reclaimer flake reject.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said flake reject comprises at least 1 weight percent of PVC on a dry basis.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said flake reject comprises at least 0.1 weight percent PET on a dry basis.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said flake reject comprises at least 0.1 weight percent and/or not more than 20 weight percent polyolefins on a dry basis.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising feeding at least a portion of said flake reject into at least one density separation stage before said depolymerizing (b), in which a PET-enriched stream and a polyolefins-enriched stream are produced from a waste plastic stream comprising said flake reject.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising feeding at least a portion of said PET-enriched stream into a solvolysis facility.

7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising feeding at least a portion of said polyolefins-enriched stream into a partial oxidation (POX) gasifier.

8 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising feeding at least a portion of said polyolefins-enriched stream into a pyrolysis facility.

9 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising feeding at least a portion of said polyolefins-enriched stream into an energy recovery facility.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising feeding at least a portion of said flake reject into a mechanical dewatering apparatus before said depolymerizing (b).

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein said flake reject is fed into a thermal dryer after said mechanical dewatering apparatus.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said flake reject is fed directly into a solvolysis facility within said chemical recycling facility.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a caustic component or caustic solution is introduced along with said flake reject to a dissolver and/or a solvolysis reactor within said solvolysis facility.

14 . The use of PET and PVC-containing reclaimer flake reject as a feedstock to a chemical recycling facility.

Assignees

• Eastman Chem Co

Inventors

• Debruin Bruce Roger
• Ekart Michael Paul
• Jackson Anne-Martine Sherbeck
• West Nathan Mitchell
• Liu Zhufang

Classifications

• C08J11/12 Primary

  by dry-heat treatment only · CPC title

• C08J2323/00

  Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond; Derivatives of such polymers · CPC title

• C08J2327/06

  Homopolymers or copolymers of vinyl chloride · CPC title

• C08J2367/02

  Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds; (C08J2367/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02W30/62

  Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling · CPC title