Recyclate verification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908989-B2
Application number	US-201514682147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Jan 14, 2015
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A composition for recyclate verification is produced by adding a predetermined quantity of one or more verification compounds to a base resin. Each of the verification compounds is thermally stable over a range of temperatures that includes the maximum processing temperature of the base resin but is less than the degradation temperature of the base resin. In some embodiments, a thermoplastic material provided for verification as a recyclate is analyzed to detect the presence (and, optionally, the loading level) of one or more verification compounds associated with the base resin of the thermoplastic material. In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for recyclate verification is performed using a computer program product. In some embodiments, a thermoplastic material verified as a recyclate is heated to drive off the verification compound(s), then a known quantity of the verification compound(s) is added to the recyclate, which is then blended with virgin base resin material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composition for recyclate verification, comprising:
a base resin, wherein the base resin is capable of being injection molded at a maximum processing temperature, and wherein the base resin is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS);
one or more verification compounds added to the base resin to achieve a nominal loading level of less than 0.1% by weight for each of the one or more verification compounds, wherein each of the one or more verification compounds is thermally stable over a range of temperatures that includes the maximum processing temperature but is less than a degradation temperature of the base resin, and wherein the one or more verification compounds comprises 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid.

2. The composition as recited in claim 1 , wherein the nominal loading level of the 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid is 0.01 wt %.

3. A composition for recyclate verification, comprising:
a base resin comprising acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS);
one or more verification compounds added to the base resin to achieve a nominal loading level of less than 0.1% by weight for each of the one or more verification compounds, wherein the one or more verification compounds comprises 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid.

4. The composition as recited in claim 3 , wherein the nominal loading level of the 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid is 0.01 wt %.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hebig Travis R
• Kuczynski Joseph
• Nickel Steven R

Classifications

• C08K5/092 Primary

  Polycarboxylic acids · CPC title

• C08J2369/00

  Characterised by the use of polycarbonates; Derivatives of polycarbonates · CPC title

• C08J2447/00

  Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, at least one having two or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds; Derivatives of such polymers (C08J2445/00 takes precedence; of conjugated diene rubbers C08J2409/00 - C08J2421/00) · CPC title

• C08J2355/02

  Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene [ABS] polymers · CPC title

• C08L55/02

  ABS [Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene] polymers · CPC title