US-12617924-B2 - Chemical recycling of waste plastics from various sources, including wet fines

US12617924B2US 12617924 B2US12617924 B2US 12617924B2US-12617924-B2

Abstract

A chemical recycling process and facility for using one or more PET-containing materials as a feedstock to a chemical recycling facility, and in particular a solvolysis facility, are provided herein. The PET-containing materials used as feedstock may comprise PET-containing reclaimer co-products, PET-containing MRF products or co-products, sorted plastic-containing mixtures, and/or PET-containing waste plastic from a plastic article manufacturing facility. In particular, the PET-containing materials used as feedstock may comprise a quantity of PET-containing wet fines from a reclaimer facility.

Inventors

Bruce Roger DeBruin
Michael Paul Ekart

Assignees

EASTMAN CHEMICAL COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210413

Claims (4)

1 . A method of recycling a plastic waste comprising: (a) feeding a quantity of PET-containing reclaimer wet fines separated from said plastic waste to a chemical recycling facility; and (b) depolymerizing in said chemical recycling facility at least a portion of said PET-containing reclaimer wet fines; wherein at least a portion of the plastic particles from said PET-containing reclaimer wet fines are densified to form a quantity of densified PET-containing particles having an average particle size of 0.32 cm (⅛ inch) to 2.54 cm (1 inch) before said depolymerizing (b), and wherein said quantity of densified PET-containing particles is liquified to form a liquified plastic material before said depolymerizing (b).
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein: (i) said quantity of PET-containing reclaimer wet fines comprises at least 90 weight percent PET on a dry basis; (ii) said quantity of PET-containing reclaimer wet fines comprise not more than 10 weight percent halogens on a dry basis; and/or (iii) said quantity of PET-containing reclaimer wet fines comprise not more than 50 weight percent polyolefins on a dry basis.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 40 weight percent of the water content from said quantity of PET-containing reclaimer wet fines is removed before said depolymerizing (b).
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said quantity of PET-containing reclaimer wet fines are fed to a solvolysis facility within said chemical recycling facility wherein said depolymerizing (b) occurs.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application is a national stage filing under 35 USC § 371 of International Application Number PCT/US2021/026967, filed on Apr. 13, 2021 which claims the benefit of the filing date to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/008,911, filed on Apr. 13, 2020, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND Waste materials, especially non-biodegradable waste materials, can negatively impact the environment when disposed of in landfills after a single use. Thus, from an environmental standpoint, it is desirable to recycle as much waste material as possible. However, there still exist streams of low value waste that are nearly impossible or economically unfeasible to recycle with conventional recycling technologies. In addition, some conventional recycling processes produce waste streams that are themselves not economically feasible to recover or recycle, resulting in additional waste streams that must be disposed of or otherwise handled. For example, plastic reclaimer facilities, municipal recycling facilities, plastic articles manufacturers (molder), and polymer manufacturing facilities can produce significant amounts of waste plastics that are undesirable or unusable by consumers and mechanical recycling facilities. In particular, reclaimer facilities can produce quantities of PET-containing wet fines as an undesirable co-product, which is typically disposed of in landfills and/or incinerators. Thus, a need exists for a large-scale facility capable of chemically recycling a variety of plastic-containing waste materials recovered from such sources, particularly undesirable reclaimer co-products such as wet fines, in an economically viable manner. SUMMARY In one aspect, the present technology concerns a method of recycling a plastic waste. Generally, the method comprises: (a) feeding to a chemical recycling facility at least a portion of one or more PET-containing materials; and (b) depolymerizing in the chemical recycling facility the at least a portion of the PET-containing materials. The one or more PET-containing materials comprise: (i) PET-containing reclaimer co-products, and/or (ii) PET-containing MRF products or co-products, and/or (iii) sorted plastic-containing mixtures, and/or (iv) PET-containing waste plastic from a plastic article manufacturing facility, wherein (i)-(ii) have been separated from the plastic waste. In one aspect, the present technology concerns a method of recycling a plastic waste. Generally, the method comprises: (a) feeding to a solvolysis facility at least a portion of one or more PET-containing materials; and (b) depolymerizing in the solvolysis facility the at least a portion of the PET-containing materials. The one or more PET-containing materials comprise: (i) PET-containing reclaimer co-products, and/or (ii) PET-containing MRF products or co-products, and/or (iii) sorted plastic-containing mixtures, and/or (iv) PET-containing waste plastic from a plastic article manufacturing facility, wherein (i)-(ii) have been separated from the plastic waste. In one aspect, the present technology concerns a method of recycling a plastic waste. Generally, the method comprises: (a) feeding a quantity of PET-containing wet fines separated from the plastic waste to a chemical recycling facility; and (b) depolymerizing in the chemical recycling facility the at least a portion of the PET-containing wet fines. In one aspect, the present technology concerns the use of one or more PET-containing materials as a feedstock to a chemical recycling facility and/or solvolysis facility. The one or more PET-containing materials comprise: (i) PET-containing reclaimer co-products, and/or (ii) PET-containing MRF products or co-products, and/or (iii) sorted plastic-containing mixtures, and/or (iv) PET-containing waste plastic from a plastic article manufacturing facility. In one aspect, the present technology concerns the use of PET reclaimer wet fines as a feedstock to a chemical recycling facility. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps of a process and facility for chemically recycling waste plastic according to embodiments of the present technology; FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram illustrating a separation process and zone for separating mixed plastic waste according to embodiments of the present technology; FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps of a process and facility for PET solvolysis according to embodiments of the present technology; FIG. 4 is a block flow diagram illustrating typical rPET products and co-products derived from a PET reclaimer facility; FIG. 5 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps of a PET reclaimer process, and the resulting products and co-products produced therefrom; FIG. 6 is a block flow diagram illustrating an exemplary liquification zone of the chemical recycling facility shown in FIG. 1 according to embodiments of