PROCESSES FOR PRODUCING POLYETHYLENE CONTAINING RECYCLED NON-POLAR POLYMERIC MATERIAL

• Main Authors: KOONER, Gurpreet, ANSEEUW, Renee, PIRES FORTES FERREIRA, Marcia, EBRAHIMI, Marzieh, LEE, Graham, SIBTAIN, Fazle
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 26.10.2022
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVINGCARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; WORKING-UP

Disclosed herein are processes for producing blends of recycled polymeric material and virgin polyethylene. Post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) can vary widely with respect to composition which includes mixtures of variable amounts of different polar and non-polar polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol, and polyamide. Mixing PCR and virgin polyethylene is inconsistent, partially due to variability, and frequently results in a final product with poor mechanical and optical properties. The process described herein of adding PCR to a solution polymerization process provides another option for blending PCR and virgin polyethylene that offers an ability to exert greater control on the properties of the final product, independent of the composition of the PCR.