Eliminating volatile compounds, contaminants and smells in plastic materials

Business opportunity

Low molecular weight components from polymerization and others produced during processing can pose a quality problem in finished parts by generating defects, diminished properties and/or the emergence of unwanted smells. This problem is aggravated when it comes to recycled materials since they may contain diverse pollutants, some of which are health hazards.

Eliminating these substances is a key issue in obtaining materials and products with better technical specifications and quality. An extraction technique will be required in each particular case depending on the substance to be eliminated and the polymer in question.

Here at AIMPLAS we have developed technologies by applying supercritical CO₂ (sc-CO₂) during the extrusion process to eliminate volatile and semi-volatile compounds and reduce them by between 75% and 99.5%.

This technology has major advantages for processing companies:

Highly effective extraction of volatile compounds without high investment.
Improved technical properties and quality of finished products.
Elimination of unwanted smells.
Increased productivity: reduction of the number of defective parts.

And brings benefits for recycling firms:

Greater efficiency in plastic waste decontamination: 65-70% increase compared to conventional treatment technologies.
Reduction in the number of washing and drying processes: only one washing and drying process is required.
Minimised energy, water and chemical product use and wastewater generation.
Lower production costs.
Obtaining higher quality recycled plastics: improved mechanical and sensory properties.
Access to markets and applications with greater added value.

AIMPLAS can help you implement this technology in your company by tailoring it to your production process.

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