Improving the purity of materials recycled from disposable absorbent articles

• Main Authors: Kim, HyungByum, Lee, HoSun, Kim, KyungShin
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.12.2019
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BESHAPED; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINED SOIL SOIL; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIALCONTAINING PLASTICS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

Improving the recovery from recycling a disposable absorbent article including superabsorbent polymer includes separating the article into a mixed polymeric material/cellulosic fiber stream and a superabsorbent polymer/fibers stream; and processing the mixed polymeric material/cellulosic fiber stream using an enzyme to release the cellulosic fibers from the polymeric materials. The method can also include shredding the disposable absorbent article; re-pulping the shredded disposable absorbent article; and dehydrating the superabsorbent polymer, wherein dehydrating includes belching fluid from swollen superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) by immersing swollen SAP in a gel state into a composition for removing moisture, wherein seawater and 0.5 to 3% by weight of calcium chloride based on the weight of seawater are mixed for 10 minutes to 4 hours.