New extrusion process recycles food-grade PET.PTP (1) See peer-to-peer. (2) (Picture Transfer Protocol) An ISO standard for transferring photos from a digital camera to a computer or photo printer. Plastic Technologies and Products bv in Prague, Czech Republic, seeks to license a reactive extrusion process to upgrade clean post-consumer PET bottle flake into food-grade PET for new bottles or film. A 6-million-lb/yr plant is producing material for customer testing. Washed PET flakes are added to a mixer where they are coated with a liquid silicone-based additive. The flakes are fed to a twin-screw extruder where molecular weight is restored. PET-M (modified PET) is then pelletized and crystallized crys·tal·lize also crys·tal·ize v. crys·tal·lized also crys·tal·ized, crys·tal·liz·ing also crys·tal·iz·ing, crys·tal·liz·es also crys·tal·iz·es v.tr. 1. (using residual heat from pelletizing Pelletizing or pelletising is the process of compressed or molding of product into the shape of a pellet. A large range of different products are pelletized including chemicals, iron ore, animal compound feed, and more. ). PTP's chemical-aided extrusion process is reportedly less expensive than solid-stating and achieves properties comparable to or better than virgin PET. Elongation at break is said to be 50% to 100% greater than virgin PET, and PET-M is hydrophobic hydrophobic /hy·dro·pho·bic/ (-fo´bik) 1. pertaining to hydrophobia (rabies). 2. not readily absorbing water, or being adversely affected by water. 3. instead of hydrophilic hydrophilic /hy·dro·phil·ic/ (-fil´ik) readily absorbing moisture; hygroscopic; having strongly polar groups that readily interact with water. hy·dro·phil·ic adj. like normal PET, so it reportedly dries four times faster. PET-M has been certified acceptable for food contact. PTP will present the process for the first time at Nova-Pack Europe 2006, Oct. 2-3, in Prague, organized by Schotland Business Research, Skillman, N.J. Tel: (609) 466-9191 * www.schotland.com |
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