Mechanical Recycling Of Multicomponent Polymeric Waste Comprising Polyamide And Polyurethane

Process for the recycling of multicomponent polymeric waste materials comprising a polyamide and a polyurethane derived from industrial or post-consumer waste, comprising the following steps:

• a) mechanical grinding of the multicomponent polymeric waste material, comprising a polyamide and a polyurethane, to obtain a granulate consisting of particles smaller than 1 mm;
• b) addition of the granulate obtained in step a) to a virgin polymer corresponding to, or chemically compatible with, the majority component of the multicomponent polymeric waste material, in a quantity such that the weight ratio between the multicomponent polymeric waste material and the virgin polymer is between 1:3 and 4:1, obtaining a first mixture;
• characterized by further comprising the following steps:
• c) addition to the mixture of step b) of a compatibilizer selected between a polyetheramide of relative viscosity in m-cresol between 1.18 and 1.38 and a novolac with a weight average molecular weight, Mw, between 3500 and 6000, in a quantity such that the weight of the compatibilizer is between 0.8 and 1.2 times the weight of the minority component of the multicomponent polymeric waste material, obtaining a second mixture;
• d) forming an article using said second mixture as starting material;
• wherein steps b) and c) are performed sequentially or simultaneously.