A process for recycling by separating the constituents of aluminized and plastic packaging, cartoned or not, comprising separating the constituents of polyethylene or polypropylene plastic film with aluminum by solubilizing the polymer in a compatible primary solvent, operation performed below the polymer softening temperature and under pressure followed by insolubilization via reduction of temperature, separation of the solvent from the polymer and finally filtration and reuse of the solvent in the step of solubilization, in the following sequence:
- A) Feeding of small shreds of film or equivalent in an intermittent way, through the film doser (A01), passing through a locking valve (U01) at the inlet of the intermittent feeder (B01) and from it through another locking valve (U02) at the inlet of the continuous feeder (B01A);
- B) Dosing of a predetermined quantity of film from the intermittent feeder (B01) with the valve (U01) blocked and the valve (UO2) open, transferring the film to a continuous feeder (B01A);
- the valve (U02) is blocked and the valve (U01) is unlocked and film is re-fed from the doser (A01) into the intermittent feeder (B01), and so on;
- C) Film from the continuous feeder (B01A) is fed through its internal conveyor thread, concomitant with the solvent inlet, into the suspension tank (B02) with the valve (U02) blocked, with continuous volumetric feed of solvent through the solvent feeding pump (Z01) in a ratio of 8 to 15 parts of solvent to one part of film, so as to cover the entire film content in the suspension tank (B02) and formation of a suspension of the polymer/aluminum film in solvent;
- D) Feeding of the suspension in the dissolver tank (C01) where the suspension is rotated by a profile in the shape of an internal helical pitch and heating at 100 to 105° C. in an indirect way and with greater circulation, agitation and consequent movement for better convection, with a residence time of 2 to 5 seconds;
- E) At the end of the dissolution, the liquid stream with the solution of polymer and aluminum in suspension, enters a special screen filter (D01) carried by a helical thread, which conducts the aluminum through the filtration operation and separates the concentrated solution;
- F) The concentrated solution crosses the walls of the screen maintaining a counter pressure to the fluid in the solution outlets to keep the dissolver tank (C01) pressurized and is collected in the concentrated solution tank (F01) and the aluminum with residual polymer flows, pushed by the thread of the filter (D01), to another contiguous compartment, the residual polymer washing tank (E01) and immediately before and after the wall communicating the two compartments, the duct no longer allows passage through its surface and by using different speed the aluminum is driven to the special aluminum output device (G10) out of the system;
- G) In the residual polymer washer tank (E01), filtered and condensed solvent is injected from the solvent tank (X01), through the inside of the helical screw thread of the tank (E01), to remove residual polymer solution from aluminum and the diluted solution crosses the screen maintaining a counter pressure to the fluid in the solution outlets to maintain pressurized the dissolver tank (C01) and is collected in the diluted solution tank (F02);
- H) The concentrated solution, after reaching the steady state, is collected in the concentrated solution tank (F01) and transferred continuously by the concentrated solution pump (Z02) for cooling between 50 and 70° C., initially in the heat recovering unit (LM01) to yield heat to the filtered and condensed solvent, and additionally to the concentrated solution cooler (L01) in order to precipitate and insolubilize the polymer, then to filtrate into the slurry filter (I01), from which the filtered solvent is accumulated, together with solvent from the condenser (J01) into the solvent tank (X01) and returning through the heat recovery unit (LM01), the solvent pump (Z03), the solvent heater (M01) and the shaft of helical thread of the residual polymer washing tank (E01);
- I) The diluted solution from the washing of the aluminum in the residual polymer washing tank (E01) is collected in the diluted solution tank (F02) and return to the beginning of the process continuously through the washing solvent feeding pump (Z01);
- J) The cake after filtration goes to drying in the polymer dryer (H01) and the solvent vapors proceed to the condenser (J01) and the resulting condensed solvent is mixed with the condensed solvent coming from the aluminum dryer (K01);
- L) All solvent vapor streams, after condensate, proceed to the solvent tank (X01), are reused for washing the aluminum and from there to the beginning of the process;
- M) Aluminum is intermittently removed through a special intermittent, rotating and reciprocating vertical opening and closing aluminum output device (G10) in order to also keep the pressure inside the dissolver tank (C01) and the aluminum from which the polymer was removed is conducted for drying in the dryer (K01), the solvent vapors being separated to the condenser (J01), where its stream is mixed with the condensed solvent from the polymer dryer (H01);
- O) Dry aluminum containing small amounts of cellulosic fibers and pieces of unremoved lids, as well as polypropylene tapes, in batch process, are fed into a crusher tank (P01), kerosene is added at room temperature and shear crushing is carried out, not only removing the polymer residual, but also loosing all the residual cellulosic fibers;
- P) The agitation is then turned off and the aluminum suspension is transferred to the flotation tank (Q01), air is sprayed through the device contained in the bottom of the crushing tank (P01), occurring the formation of foam which carries fibers and shreds of polypropylene and cellulosic fibers;
- Q) This foam is continuously removed by the draining of the supernatant liquid stream, foam passing through a screen basket (R01), where the light particulates of polypropylene and fiber will be retained, then returning the kerosene to the tank, by pumping through the recirculation pump (T01) to the tank bottom;
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- R) The aluminum suspension, after the impurities are eliminated, is drained by a filter (Y01), the kerosene is pumped by the return pump (V01) and returns to the kerosene tank (O01) which will feed the next batch and the aluminum goes for pressing in the press (S01) to remove most of the kerosene, which goes to the melting stage, where evaporation of the remainder of retained kerosene takes place.