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Flotability and flotation separation of polymer materials modulated by wetting agents
Hui Wang1, Chong-qing Wang1, Jian-gang Fu1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Resources Chemistry of Nonferrous Metals, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 Hunan, China.
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|December 21, 2013
Summary
Wetting agents significantly alter polymer flotability, enabling efficient separation of plastic mixtures. Lignin sulfonate and tannic acid demonstrated superior performance in multi-stage flotation processes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Wetting agents are crucial for modifying the surface properties of polymers.
- Understanding wetting behavior is key to optimizing polymer processing and separation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of wetting agents on polymer resin and plastic flotability.
- To establish the effectiveness of different wetting agents for plastic separation.
Main Methods:
- Surface free energy, surface tension, and contact angle measurements were conducted.
- Flotability tests were performed on polymer materials with varying wetting agent concentrations.
- Two-component and multicomponent plastic mixtures were separated using flotation.
Main Results:
- Wetting agent concentration inversely affects polymer flotability.
- The wetting ability order was determined as lignin sulfonate (LS) > tannic acid (TA) > methylcellulose (MC) > triton X-100 (TX-100).
- Efficient separation of multicomponent plastics achieved >94% purity and >93% recovery using TA and LS.
Conclusions:
- Wetting agents effectively modulate polymer flotability for separation purposes.
- Multi-stage flotation with specific wetting agents offers a viable method for high-purity plastic recycling.
Keywords:
ABSABS plastic obtained from air conditioning shellABS plastic obtained from television chassisABS-airABS-tvAdsorptionFlotabilityLSMCPCPC plastic obtained from compact discPC plastic obtained from travel cupPC-cdPC-cupPEPETPET plastic obtained from drink bottlePET-driPPPSPS plastic obtained from car lampshadePS plastic obtained from cosmetic boxPS-facPS-lamPTFEPVCPVC plastic obtained from decorative bucklePVC plastic obtained from packagePVC plastic obtained from pipePVC plastic obtained from rain bootPVC plastic obtained from water hosePVC-decPVC-hosPVC-pacPVC-pipPVC-shoPlastics flotationPlastics recyclingTATPTX-100WEDWFDWGDWetting agentsacrylonitrile-butadiene-styrenelignin sulfonateliquid group of distilled water, ethylene glycol and diiodomethaneliquid group of distilled water, formamide and diiodomethaneliquid group of distilled water, glycerol and diiodomethanemethylcellulosepolycarbonatepolyethylenepolyethylene terephthalatepolypropylenepolystyrenepolytetrafluoroethylenepolyvinyl chloridetannic acidterpineoltriton X-100
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