Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Process of treating scrap or waste product containing solid...
Utility Patent
1999-06-14
2001-01-02
Seidleck, James J. (Department: 1711)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Process of treating scrap or waste product containing solid...
C528S497000, C528S50200C, C264S040100, C422S186000
Utility Patent
active
06169121
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing high-quality regenerated styrene resin by recycling from a waste styrene resin material, such as expanded styrene or styrene cabinets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Styrene resins are used extensively as a cabinet material for a variety of electric appliances, while its expanded product, that is expanded styrene, is used in larger quantities as a variety of packaging materials.
In recent years, it is contemplated to recover and re-utilize the waste material of this sort from the viewpoint of environmental maintenance and economic merits. For example, there is proposed a styrene recycling system of reducing the volume of expanded styrene or styrene cabinets by dissolving them in an organic solvent, transporting the resulting solution to a recycling plant to remove and recover the organic solvent and to recycle the resulting product as regenerated styrene.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Meanwhile, in the above recycling system, there are left in the solution obtained on dissolving expanded styrene or styrene cabinets insoluble impurities less than hundreds of microns in size, including water content, dust, animal oil, such as fish oil, inorganic particles, such as carbon black or dyestuffs, or other insoluble components, these insoluble impurities frequently detracting from the quality of the regenerated styrene.
For removing impurities from the solution containing high-molecular materials, metal mesh filters, bag filters of polyolefin or polyester fibers, or filter cloths, are routinely used. Although solid impurities in the solution can be removed to some extent with these filters, sludges containing the moisture or animal oils, or inorganic pigments, such as carbon black, cannot at present be removed. If the filter mesh size is refined, the rate of removal of solid impurities, such as sludges or colorants, is improved, however, if the solution is of high viscosity, the rate of percolation is lowered, while the filter clogging is significant, thus impracticably increasing the rate of filter exchange.
On the other hand, phosphorus pentoxide, potassium hydroxide, concentrated sulfuric acid, calcium sulfate anhydride, magnesium oxide, sodium hydroxide, calcium oxide, calcium salt anhydride or copper sulfate anhydride are known as chemical dehydrating agents for organic solvents. Of these, molecular sieve, calcium sulfate anhydride and calcium chloride anhydride, are routinely used. These dehydrators, known to exhibit dehydrating effects for organic solvents, are not sufficient in their effects in dehydration or removal of sludges or colorants in a solution of styrene or the like resin in the organic solvents.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a processing method for efficiently and promptly removing insoluble impurities contained in a solution of a styrene resin waste material to enable recycling of high-quality regenerated styrene.
The present invention provides a method for recycling a styrene resin including removing insoluble components in a solution resulting from dissolution of a styrene resin in an organic solvent by one of the steps of
(a) contacting the solution with a dehydrating agent;
(b) applying an electrical field to the solution; or
(c) contacting an adsorbent with the solution;
subsequently removing the organic solvent from the solution freed of the insoluble components; and
recycling the resulting mass as a regenerated styrene resin.
According to the present invention, the solution of the styrene resin in the organic solvent can be effectively freed of the foreign matter, such as moisture, sludge or the colorant to enable recycling of the high-quality regenerated styrene.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5672631 (1997-09-01), Pauls et al.
patent: 4139257 (1994-10-01), None
patent: WO 94/24194 (1994-10-01), None
Inagaki Yasuhito
Miyashita Mayumi
Noguchi Tsutomu
Watanabe Haruo
Asinovsky Olga
Seidleck James J.
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Sony Corporation
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