Recycled polyethylene terephthalate compositions, fibers and articles produced therefrom, and methods for producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9309609-B2
Application number	US-201414285143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2008
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention relates to recycled polyethylene terephthalate compositions, fibers and articles produced therefrom, and methods for producing same. In a further aspect, the invention relates to homogenized post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate. In a further aspect, the invention relates to extruded polymer compositions, polymer mixtures, fibers, and/or Bulked Continuous Filament fibers comprising post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate. In a further aspect, the invention relates to processes for preparing recycled polyethylene terephthalate compositions. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber extruded from polyethylene terephthalate, present in an amount of at least about 5% up to about 100% of homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight and balance virgin polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate comprises at least one impurity not present in virgin polyethylene terephthalate; and wherein the at least one impurity comprises floatable contamination in an amount less than 25 ppm, PVC contamination in an amount less than 150 ppm, or a combination thereof.

2. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the polyethylene terephthalate is present as at least about 10% homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight.

3. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the polyethylene terephthalate is present as at least about 25% homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight.

4. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the polyethylene terephthalate is present as at least about 50% homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight.

5. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one impurity present in the homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate comprises floatable contamination present in an amount less than 25 ppm and PVC contamination present in an amount less than 150 ppm.

6. A Bulked Continuous Filament extruded fiber comprising a polymer composition, of polyethylene present in an amount of at least about 5% up to about 100% of homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight and balance virgin polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate comprises at least one impurity not present in virgin polyethylene terephthalate; and wherein the at least one impurity comprises floatable contamination in an amount less than 25 ppm, PVC contamination in an amount less than 150 ppm, or a combination thereof.

7. The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the polyethylene terephthalate is present as at least about 10% homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight.

8. The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the polyethylene terephthalate is present as at least about 25% homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight.

9. The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the polyethylene terephthalate is present as at least about 50% homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate by weight.

10. The fiber of claim 6 , wherein the at least one impurity present in the homogeneously blended curbside post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate comprises floatable contamination present in an amount less than 25 ppm and PVC contamination present in an amount less than 150 ppm.

11. A yarn made from the fiber of claim 1 .

12. The yarn of claim 11 , exhibiting an average tenacity that is no more than 7% lower than an average tenacity measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

13. The yarn of claim 11 , exhibiting an average elongation that is no more than 5% higher than an average elongation measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

14. The yarn of claim 11 , exhibiting an average heatset tenacity that is no more than 3% lower than an average heatset tenacity measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

15. The yarn of claim 11 , exhibiting an average heatset elongation that is no more than 10% lower than a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

16. A yarn made from the Bulked Continuous Filament extruded fiber of claim 6 .

17. The yarn of claim 16 , exhibiting an average tenacity that is no more than 7% lower than an average tenacity measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

18. The yarn of claim 16 , exhibiting an average elongation that is no more than 5% higher than an average elongation measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

19. The yarn of claim 16 , exhibiting an average heatset tenacity that is no more than 3% lower than an average heatset tenacity measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

20. The yarn of claim 16 , exhibiting an average heatset elongation that is no more than 10% lower than an average heatset elongation measured for a yarn made from a fiber extruded from virgin polyethylene terephthalate.

Assignees

• Columbia Insurance Co

Inventors

• Booth Hubert J
• Bradley Christopher Eric
• Johnson Daniel Ray
• Keen Jr James Henry

Classifications

• Y02P20/143

  the feedstock being recycled material, e.g. plastics · CPC title

• D01D1/065

  Addition and mixing of substances to the spinning solution or to the melt; Homogenising · CPC title

• C08J2367/02

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

• D01F6/62

  from polyesters · CPC title

• C08L2205/025

  containing two or more polymers of the same hierarchy C08L, and differing only in parameters such as density, comonomer content, molecular weight, structure · CPC title