US 2025/0289166 A1Published application

Recycling systems and related methods

OwnerKhosrow Hallajiinventor

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Abstract

A method of producing fit-for-food contact devolatilized post-consumer thermoplastic polymer pellets derived from higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer, in various aspects, comprises: providing higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer having; forming the higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer into a plurality of higher melt index polymer pellets; after forming the higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer into the plurality of higher melt index post-consumer polymer pellets, devolatilizing the plurality of higher melt index post-consumer polymer pellets in a devolatilization chamber to produce a plurality of devolatilized higher melt index post-consumer polymer pellets; and providing the plurality of devolatilized post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets for use in at least one of an injection molding, compression molding, or flexible packaging processes to produce a plurality of fit-for-food contact articles from the plurality of devolatilized post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of producing post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene or polypropylene pellets, fit-for-food contact for use in molding processes requiring higher melt index material, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene bottle and containers caps, closures and lids derived from recycled plastic food grade bottles and containers;
grinding the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene caps, closures and lids into a plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene flakes;
identifying and discarding a first portion of the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene flakes having a melt index below about 2 g/10 min such that a remaining second portion of the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene flakes has a melt index between about two g/10 min and about 50 g/10 min;
forming the second portion of the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene flakes into a plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets;
after forming the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene flakes into the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets, devolatilizing the plurality of post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets in a devolatilization chamber to produce a plurality of devolatilized post-consumer high density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets;
and
providing the plurality of devolatilized post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets for use in a molding process to produce a plurality of fit-for-food contact articles.

4 more elements

providing higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer having a melt index between about one g/10 min. and about fifty g/10 min.;
forming the higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer into a plurality of higher melt index polymer pellets;
after forming the higher melt index post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymer into the plurality of higher melt index post-consumer polymer pellets, devolatilizing the plurality of higher melt index post-consumer polymer pellets in a devolatilization chamber to produce a plurality of devolatilized higher melt index post-consumer polymer pellets;
and
providing the plurality of devolatilized post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets for use in at least one of an injection molding, compression molding, or flexible packaging processes to produce a plurality of fit-for-food contact articles from the plurality of devolatilized post-consumer high-density polyethylene and polypropylene pellets.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/079,833Filed 14 Mar 2025
Priority: 15 Mar 2024
Published: 18 Sep 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

B29B 17/02
Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics: separating plastics from other materials
B29B 17/0026
Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics: by agglomeration or compacting
B29B 17/0412
Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by milling: to large particles, e.g. beads, granules, flakes, slices
C08L 23/04
Not modified by chemical after-treatment: homopolymers or copolymers of ethene