Use of recycled packaging in polymer composite products

Abstract

A polymer composite and its method of manufacture using a recycled multilayer material. An example of the recycled multilayer material is comprised of a polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate / aluminum film that may be extruded with organic filler to obtain desirable performance in wood-substitute products such as deck boards, railing, fencing, pergolas, residential cladding / siding, sheet products, and other applications.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 696,476, filed Sep. 4, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION[0002]Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to composite products and related methods for manufacturing such products. Composite materials can offer many benefits as compared to natural materials such as wood. However, despite many years of development, there is still a need to improve the formulation, manufacturing, and resulting characteristics of composite materials.[0003]Many composite products are made from virgin materials. However, virgin materials may be in limited supply and / or costly. Thus, there is a need to use at least a portion of recycled material in the formulation of a composite. There is also a need to use at least a portion of recycled material for sustainability reasons and also to potentially earn LEED points.[0004]There is also a ne...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent text describes a need to improve the ability of composites to incorporate a wider range of materials, including recycled materials and materials with multiple polymers and additives. This can help control costs and improve flexibility in material selection. The text also discusses the issue of sun exposure causing heat to accumulate on the surface of composite products, and proposes using recycled packaging or other multilayer materials to transfer heat away or minimize static charge. The text mentions the use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a compatibilizer and the potential for improved adhesion of a capstock layer. Other embodiments may use other polyesters or improvements in processing conditions to achieve similar physical characteristics as the control.

Problems solved by technology

However, virgin materials may be in limited supply and / or costly.

A drawback of typical composites using recycled materials is that the physical characteristics of the composites may lack in comparison to the same composites made with virgin materials.

For example, characteristics such as coefficient of thermal expansion, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, moisture sensitivity, peak load, and other mechanical characteristics may be adversely impacted by the use of recycled materials in many common composites.

With respect to decking products such as deck planks and rails, the reduction of such characteristics may lead to increased sagging or other types of deterioration.

For instance, the use of recycled materials may impact the extrudability of the composite material.

It may also limit the adhesion of a cap layer to a substrate.

Furthermore, when exposed to the sun, composite materials can become hot to the touch, especially relative to natural wood.

Multilayer materials are often for a single use and disposable, which places a burden on landfills that are nearly filled to capacity.

In many multilayer materials, the combined polymer layers are beneficial for packaging such as for barrier properties, but are difficult to re-utilize.

Multilayer recycled plastics cannot be readily separated back into the individual components such as high density polyethylene.

There has thus been a difficulty in recycling multilayer plastics (e.g., flexible packaging) due to the combination of different materials in the laminate.

However, this technology is costly, time-consuming, and requires an undesirable amount of energy to achieve the separation of the individual components.

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