A process for separating a mixture of incompatible polymers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), promises to expand the recycling and reuse of plastic waste. The first commercial plant, at Celanese’s recycling facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has been operating at a PET capacity of 15 million lb/yr. Operating cost: 0.5¢/lb.
Targeted to replace the conventional sorting of individual PET bottles from PVC containers upstream of the recycling step, this process first chops the mixed waste with a rotary-blade cutter to 0.5 in. chips. The materials are then suspended in water, and air is forced through to create a bubblelike froth that preferentially entraps the PVC because of its different surface-tension characteristics. A food-grade surfactant is also added to enhance the separation. The froth is skimmed away along with the PVC, leaving behind the PET material. For a feed with 2% PVC, the process has recovered almost pure PET with an acceptable PVC contamination level of
10 ppm.
How many pounds of PVC are recovered per year from this process?
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