Polyvinyl chloride-polyethylene terephthalate separation product
AssigneeRecovery Processes International, Inc.
InventorRonald W. Kobler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydrophobic polyvinyl chloride chip composition is described which has a preferred affinity for air when in water. The chip is supernatant in water after contact with air and has a skin layer containing a surface conditioning agent. A method for separating a PET/PVC chip admixture is also disclosed. The chip admixture is contacted with a surface conditioning agent to produce relatively hydrophobic polyvinyl chloride chips which can be floated in an aerated aqueous medium. The polyethylene terephthalate chips are recovered from the bottom of the aqueous medium. The flotation can be conducted in pure water without frothing or densifying agents.
Claims7
A polyvinyl chloride chip having an affinity for air bubbles in water, which comprises a polyvinyl chloride polymer having a skin portion up to 100 microns in depth and an interior portion;
- said skin portion containing a concentration of a conditioning agent sufficient to render the outermost surface hydrophobic and said interior portion containing essentially no conditioning agent;
- said conditioning agent being a monomeric primary plasticizer which is a member of the group consisting of a liquid organic ester having solubility parameter .delta. in the range of about 6 to about 16 (J/cm.sup.3).sup.0.5 and a liquid organic ether having an HLB number in the range of about 1 to about 3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.