US 5,503,788 AGranted

Automobile shredder residue-synthetic plastic material composite, and method for preparing the same

OwnerJack Lazareck, Martin Walshinventors

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Abstract

A method is provided for processing a mixture raw automobile shredder residue, and virgin and/or contaminated synthetic plastic material, e.g., raw post consumer plastic waste. By means of this method, automobile shredder residue produced by a conventional automobile shredder is formed into a first stream by being ground in a first granulating zone to a reasonable small granular size using conventional equipment. A second stream comprising virgin and/or contaminated synthetic plastics material is ground in a second granulating zones. The two streams are combined to provide a processable mixture. The processable mixture is introduced into a high intensity, mixer. The processable mixtures transformed into a semi-molten discharge stream by the kinetic energy imparted to the processable mixture by the mixer are simultaneously vented from the mixer. The semi-molten mixture emerging from the mixer is then introduced into an extruder or press where it is formed into a mass of desired shape, and cooled. This method allows for the production of useful, shaped masses from two different classes of materials which have been otherwise treated as waste.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method for processing a mixture of combined raw automobile shredder residue and virgin and/or contaminated synthetic plastic polymer which comprises the steps of:

(a) granulating a first stream comprising raw automobile shredder residue in a first granulating zone to provide granulated automobile shredder residue;
(b) granulating a second stream comprising virgin and/or contaminated synthetic plastic polymer in a second granulating zone to provide granulated plastics material;
(c) combining the granulated automobile shredder residue obtained in step (a) and of granulated plastics material obtained in step (b) to provide a processable mixture;
(d) processing said processable mixture obtained in step (c) in a high intensity mixer, said processing transforming said processable mixture in the mixer into a semi-molten discharge stream by kinetic energy imparted to the processable mixture by the mixer while concurrently venting the mixer to remove particulates therefrom and then directing said particulates vented from said mixer to a particulate recovery system and recovering the particulates therein;
(e) forming said semi-molten discharge stream into a shaped mass of desired form;
and
(f) recycling said particulates to said first stream upstream of the mixer.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.