PROCEDURE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE SEPARATION OF WASTE MIXTURES CONTAINING PLASTIC MATERIALS AND NON-PLASTIC MATERIALS IN THE FORM OF METAL AND GLASS

摘要

PCT No. PCT/DK82/00114 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 16, 1983 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 16, 1983 PCT Filed Dec. 23, 1982 PCT Pub. No. WO83/02281 PCT Pub. Date Jul. 7, 1983.Sink/float separation of finely divided mixtures of scrap plastics and non-plastics materials, such as metal and glass, by addition of a liquid halogenated hydrocarbon being substantially chemically inert towards the components of the mixture, having essentially no swelling or dissolving effect on the plastics components and having an intermediate density adapted to the densities of the plastics and non-plastics components, preferably a chlorofluoro-substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon, such as 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, and then the resulting non-sedimented and sedimented fractions are separated and, if desired, subjected to further separation treatments, while the halogenated hydrocarbon is recycled. The process is non-destructive and particularly useful for separation of finely divided scrap wire, glass or cable, such as PVC/Cu, rubber/Cu, PEX/Al, PVC/Al, PE/Cu or mixtures thereof. Addition of density-adjusting additives permits separation of various types of plastics and it is also possible to extract and recover additives, such as plasticizers.