PROCESS FOR PRODUCING FIBER-POLYMER COMPOSITES

• Main Authors: KÄLLSTRÖM, Johan, BERGSTRÖM, Roger, KÄLLSTRÖM, Fredrik, MALMQVIST, Martin, KARLSSON, Sofi, TÖRNBLOM, Maria, JOHANSSON, Conny
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 26.05.2017
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PAPER-MAKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE; PULP COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacturing of composite materials from natural fibers and thermoplastic polymers. Examples of fibers are wood fibers originating from pulping processes known as refiner pulp (RMP),thermomechanical pulp (TMP) or chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP),but the process can also be applied to other kinds of natural fiber containing raw materials. In the process according to the present invention, fibers are introduced from the blowline or the housing of a refiner into a flash tube dryer, separated from humid air in a cyclone, introduced into a compounder and mixed with at least one thermoplastic polymer and the product is subsequently pelletized. The process according to the present invention is advantageously run as a continuous process. La présente invention concerne un procédé de fabrication de matériaux composites à partir de fibres naturelles et de polymères thermoplastiques. Des exemples de fibres sont des fibres de bois provenant de procédés de défibrage connus comme pâte de raffineur (PRM), pâte thermomécanique (PTM) ou pâte chimico-thermomécanique (PCTM), mais le procédé peut également s'appliquer à d'autres types de matières premières contenant des fibres naturelles. Dans le procédé selon la présente invention, les fibres sont introduites depuis la conduite de soufflage ou le boîtier d'un raffineur dans un sécheur à tube instantané, séparées de l'air humide dans un cyclone, introduites dans un mélangeur et mélangées avec au moins un polymère thermoplastique et le produit est ensuite pelletisé. Le procédé selon la présente invention est avantageusement exécuté en tant que procédé continu.