Systems and methods for manufacturing bulked continuous filament from colored recycled PET

A system for manufacturing products from clear recycled polymers and colored recycled polymers, the system comprising:

• a computer-controller associated with at least one color sensor, wherein the computer-controller is configured to adjust an amount of color concentrate added to a concentrate-polymer mixture;
• a colorant injection site disposed upstream of the at least one color sensor in the system;
• and
• an extruder disposed between the colorant injection site and the at least one color sensor, wherein the system is configured to:
• cause the extruder to receive a group of polymer flakes having a variable color makeup derived from curbside recycled polymer, the curbside recycled polymer comprising between 6.5% and 9.5% non-clear polymer by mass or weight and balance substantially clear polymer such that the group of polymer flakes comprise colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes derived from the curbside recycled polymer without sorting the non-clear polymer from the clear substantially clear polymer;
• cause the computer-controller to add the color concentrate to the group of polymer flakes at the colorant injection site to form a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the group of polymer flakes and the color concentrate, the concentrate-polymer mixture comprising the color concentrate and balance the group of polymer flakes, wherein the concentrate-polymer mixture further comprises polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), such that the concentrate-polymer mixture comprises:
• up to three percent color concentrate by weight;
• up to fourteen percent PTT by weight;
• and
• balance the group of polymer flakes;
• use the extruder to melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt,
• subject the polymer melt to a pressure of between about 0 millibars and about 25 millibars;
• and
• wherein the computer-controller associated with the at least one color sensor is configured to implement a color-correcting feedback loop to automatically offset the variable color makeup of the group of polymer flakes by:
• determining a color of the polymer melt, and
• increasing or decreasing an amount of the color concentrate added to the concentrate-polymer mixture at the colorant injection site when the computer-controller determines that the color of the polymer melt as determined by the at least one color sensor does not meet one or more pre-determined color guidelines.