Apparatus for shredding plastic waste with reduced emission of microplastics particles

Abstract

A plastic waste shredding assembly comprising means for directing the plastic, a shredding chamber comprising inside the chamber one or more shredding tools, wherein the shredding chamber is dust-tight sealed and having a gas flow in the chamber which passes at least partially at least one particle filter for microplastics; a method for shredding plastic waste comprising shredding the plastic waste in the inventive shredding assembly; a method for recycling plastic waste comprising shredding the plastic waste in the inventive shredding assembly and recycling the plastic waste by physical recycling or chemical recycling; a plastic recycling facility comprising the inventive shredding assembly; the use of a dust-tight sealed shredding chamber as housing for one or more shredding tools and optionally one or more classifying means, wherein the shredding chamber comprises at least one particle filter for microplastics which is located outside the shredding chamber; and a dust-tight housing for a plastic waste shredding tool, the housing comprising at least one particle filter for microplastics, wherein the at least one particle filter is located outside the housing.

Description

[0001] Apparatus for shredding plastic waste with reduced emission of microplastics particles DescriptionThe present invention relates to a plastic waste shredding assembly comprising means for di-recting the plastic, a shredding chamber comprising inside the chamber one or more shreddingtools, wherein the shredding chamber is dust-tight sealed and having a gas flow in the chamberwhich passes at least partially at least one particle filter for microplastics; a method for shred-ding plastic waste comprising shredding the plastic waste in the inventive shredding assembly;a method for recycling plastic waste comprising shredding the plastic waste in the inventiveshredding assembly and recycling the plastic waste by physical recycling or chemical recycling;a plastic recycling facility comprising the inventive shredding assembly; the use of a dust-tightsealed shredding chamber comprising at least one particle filter for microplastics as housing forone or more shredding tools and optionally one or more classifying means, wherein the at leastone particle filter is located outside the shredding chamber; and a dust-tight housing for a plasticwaste shredding tool, the housing comprising at least one particle filter for microplastics, wherein the at least one particle filter is located outside the housing. Plastics are an important material in our economy and daily lives. However, they can have seriousnegative effects on the environment and human health. When plastic waste is buried in landfillsor incinerated, it generates heat and carbon dioxide.Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. Recycling can reduce de-pendence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution andgreenhouse gas emissions.In plastic recycling facilities (PRF), a significant amount of microplastics is produced from the plastic to be recycled due to the use of mechanical friction, abrasion, or equivalent methods tobreakdown the plastics within the recycling processes. The microplastics are discharged in thewash water or escape from the PRF as fine dust in these recycling processes (Deonie Allen etal., Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 10 (2023) 100309, p.1-9). It is an object of the present invention to increase the yield of recycled plastic. Furthermore, theenvironmental friendliness of known plastic recycling processes should be improved by reduc-ing the amount of microplastics released into the environment. The object is achieved by a plastic waste shredding assembly comprisinga) means for directing the plastic, preferably a hopper;b) a shredding chamber comprising inside the chamberbi) one or more shredding tools; andbii) optionally one or more classifying means, preferably one or more meshs, more pref-erably half round meshs or rectangular meshs; andc) optionally means for collecting shredded plastic;wherein the shredding chamber is dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed and has means for in-troducing a gas flow (generally an air flow or nitrogen flow) into the chamber and directing it atleast partially trough at least one particle filter for microplastics. The object is further achieved by a method for shredding plastic waste comprising shredding theplastic waste in a shredding assembly according to the present invention; a method for recyclingplastic waste comprising shredding the plastic waste in a shredding assembly according to the present invention and recycling the plastic waste by physical recycling or chemical recycling;and a plastic recycling facility comprising:A optionally pre-treatment means, e.g. sorting means, for plastic waste;B a shredding assembly according to the present invention;C optionally washing and drying means;D optionally a melt extruder;E optionally pelletizing means; andF optionally means for collecting pelletized plastic.Further, the object is achieved by the use of a dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed shreddingchamber as housing for one or more shredding tools and optionally for one or more classifyingmeans, wherein the shredding chamber comprises at least one particle filter for microplasticswhich is located outside the shredding chamber;andan assembly comprising a dust-tight housing for a plastic waste shredding tool, and at least oneparticle filter for microplastics, wherein the at least one particle filter is located outside the hous- ing.The term microplastics (or microplastic) covers all synthetic polymer particles below 5 mm thatare generally organic, insoluble (in water) and resist degradation (https: / / ec.europa.eu / commis-sion / presscorner / detail / en / ip_23_4581 - accessed on April 15, 2024 (“generally” and “(in water)”added)). Preferably, the term “microplastic” or “microplastics” used in the present application therefore covers microplastic and large microplastic as defined below: large microplasticany solid plastic particle insoluble in water with any dimension between 1 mm and 5 mmNote 1: Microplastics may show various shapes. Note 2: Typically, a large microplastics object represents an item consisting of plastics or a part of an end-user product or a fragment of the respective item.[SOURCE:ISO / TR 21960:2020, 3.10, modified]microplasticany solid plastic particle insoluble in water with dimension between 1 µm and 1000 µm (= 1 mm) Note 1: Primary microplastics object represents a particle intentionally added to end-user prod- ucts for example cosmetic means, coatings, paints etc. Secondary microplastics object can also result as a fragment of the respective item.Note 2: Microplastics have regular and irregular shapes (see ISO 9276-6:2008).Note 3: The defined dimension is related to the longest length of the particle.[SOURCE:ISO / TR 21960:2020, 3.9, modified.](see also for further details: DIN EN ISO 24187:2023(en))Preferably, the microplastics according to the present invention having a number average diam-eter of 1 μm to less than 5 mm, more preferably having a number average diameter of 2 μm toless than 1 mm, most preferably 3 μm to 0.5 mm, further most preferably 5 μm to 0.1 mm.The particle size of the microplastics can be determined as described in DIN EN ISO24187:2023(en). From a technical perspective, no single technique is able to cover the full sizerange mentioned above. A person skilled in the art knows the suitable method useful for a givenparticle size.The microplastic particles can have different shapes (spheroid, fragment, fiber) and be made ofdifferent polymers. Microplastics can be intentionally made and added to products to enhance certain properties (for example, microbeads are added to personal care and household products for their scrubbing effect) (primary microplastics). Secondary microplastics instead form for ex- ample by the degradation and weathering of larger plastic items, entering the environment as mismanaged or improperly disposed of waste. According to the present invention, plastic (or plastics) means a polymer material to which addi-tives or substances may have been added. IUPAC defines a polymer as a “molecule of high rel-ative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition ofunits derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass”. (Interna-tional Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Compendium of polymer terminology and nomen-clature: IUPAC recommendations, 2008; RSC Pub.: Cambridge, 2009; p 443.).Plastic waste shredding assemblyThe plastic waste shredding assembly comprises:a) means for directing the plastic, preferably a hopper;b) a shredding chamber comprising inside the chamberbi) one or more shredding tools; andbii) optionally one or more classifying means, preferably one or more meshs, preferablyhalf round meshs or rectangular meshs; andc) optionally means for collecting shredded plastic;wherein the shredding chamber is dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed and has means for in-troducing a gas flow (generally an air flow or nitrogen flow) into the chamber and directing it atleast partially through at least one particle filter for microplastics. One relevant feature of the inventive shredding assembly is the dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed shredding chamber. In the meaning of the present invention “dust-tight” is used synonymously with “dust tight”, “dusttight”, “dust proof”, “dust-proof”, “dustproof”.In the meaning of the present invention, dust-type means that at most 5 wt%, preferably at most3 wt%, more preferably at most 1 wt%, most preferably no microplastic of the microplastic formed during shredding escapes from the shredding chamber. In a further preferred embodiment, the shredding chamber of the inventive shredding assembly has an IP (Ingress Protection) rating of IP6X. The Ingress Protection or IP rating system is an international rating system for electrical and electronics enclosures. The system rates an enclosure’s performance against an internationalstandard of dust and liquid protection. It is a two-digit system, with the first digit rating the enclo-sure’s dust and particulate protection capabilities and the second rating its water and liquid pro-tection capabilities. The 6 rating is the highest IP rating possible for dust protection and indi-cates a dust-tight enclosure. In the present case, the second digit X is 1 to 8.More preferably, the shredding chamber is “gas-tight” sealed. In the meaning of the present invention “gas-tight” is used synonymously with “gas tight”, “gas- tight”, “gas proof”, “gas-proof”, “gasproof”. In the meaning of the present invention, the shredding chamber is sealed in a “gas-tight” man- ner shall preferably be understood to mean a shredding chamber that is configured in such away that a leakage rate is preferably ≤ 10−7 mbar l / s (i.e. ≤ 10−7 mbar • l / s). The leakage rate isgenerally dependent on the gas that is used, a pressure difference, and the temperature, and isa measure of the units of volume or mass of the protective gas exiting the chamber. A leakagerate of 10−7mbar l / s means that, in the case of a pressure difference between a space insidethe container and a space outside the container of 1 bar, a loss of gas from the chamber of ap-proximately 1 cm3 occurs over 100 days. More preferably, the leakage rate is ≤ 10−9 mbar l / s.The leakage rate can be ascertained based on a leak test according to the pressure change testD3 of DIN EN 1779:1999-10, for example.The dust-tight, preferably gas-tight sealing of the shredding chamber can be accomplished by any method known in the art.Suitable materials for dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, walls of the shredding chamber are knownin the art, for example metals, especially steel, e.g. stainless steel, or plastics, especially filledplastics, e.g. fiber filled plastics. The shredding chamber of the inventive shredding assembly has an outer side (outside) and an inner side (inside). Generally, all elements (e.g. particle filters for microplastics, driver, transition element) having a connection between the outside and the inside of the shredding chamber are sealed dust-tight, preferably gas-tight. Suitable sealing means are known by a person skilled in the art. The shredding chamber generally comprises at least one inlet for adding the plastic waste to be shreddered and at least one outlet for removing the shreddered plastic waste. The inlet is connected with the means for directing the plastic, preferably a hopper, and the out- let is optionally connected with means for collecting the shreddered plastic. Both connectionsare dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed.Suitable dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed connections are for example independently foreach connection a dust-tight, preferably gas-tight door (see for example US2003 / 0180604), adust-tight, preferably gas-tight sluice system.The dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, door as well as the a dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sluicesystem may – each independently - be mechanically, electrically, hydraulically or manuallyopenable and closable (see for example WO2022 / 218909).Suitable gas-tight sluice systems useful as means for directing the plastic and inlet for adding the plastic waste are for example described in US 2009188580 A1 and the documents cited therein.Generally, the assembly additionally comprises means for driving the shredding tool for exam-ple: a driver, preferably a motor, more preferably an electromotor; a transmission element, preferably a gear, a chain-sproket or a pully-belt. The driver is located inside or outside the shredding chamber. In the case that the driver is lo- cated outside the shredding chamber, the connection between the driver and the shredding toolwhich is located inside the shredding chamber is dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed asknown to a person skilled in the art. The transmission element is located inside or outside the shredding chamber. In the case thatthe transmission element is located outside the shredding chamber, the connection between thetransmission element and the shredding tool which is located inside the shredding chamber isdust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed as known to a person skilled in the art. Generally, any shredding tool suitable for shredding plastic waste can be used.Preferably, the shredding tool comprises:bia) cutter shafts, preferably a polygon or a welding, which cutter shaft is mounted horizontallyor vertically in the shredding chamber;bib) one or more blades and / or cutters, preferably multiple tooths, two tooths, vertical plate,horizontal plate. Suitable shredding tools are known by a person skilled in the art and mentioned below.Preferred shredding tools are selected from the group consisting of grinders, chippers, granula-tors, hammer mills, shear shredders, and all-purpose shredders. Said shredding tools areknown by a person skilled in the art.The shredding chamber additionally comprises at least one particle filter for microplastics andhaving a gas flow in the chamber which passes at least partially the at least one particle filter for microplastics. Said gas flow is generally an air flow or a nitrogen flow.Preferably, said at least one particle filter is located outside the shredding chamber and the gasflow is channelled at least partly from the shredding chamber into the at least one filter, and the filtered gas stream obtained is optionally channelled back to the chamber and / or outdoors.The gas flow can be discontinuous by circulating the gas, preferably air or nitrogen, through theat least one filter or continuous by constantly supplying fresh gas, preferably air or nitrogen, anddirecting the gas through the at least one filter.Suitable means for introducing the gas flow into the shredding chamber and for directing (chan-nelling) the gas flow through the at least one particle filter for microplastics are known to a per-son skilled in the art. Suitable means are compressors (pumps), e.g. reciprocating and rotarypiston compressors as well as centrifugal and propellant compressors and pipes suitable fortransporting gases, especially air or nitrogen. Also, suitable means for channelling the filtered gas stream back to the chamber and / or out-doors are known in the art, e.g. pipes.Preferably, the at least one filter is selected from the group consisting of electrostatic filters, acti-vated charcoal filters, fine filters, membrane filters, cyclone filters, and combinations thereof.i) Electrostatic filters: These filters use electrostatic forces to remove microplastics from thegas, preferably air or nitrogen.ii) Activated charcoal filters: These filters are able to remove organic compounds such as mi-croplastics from the gas, preferably air or nitrogen, by chemically binding them.iii) Fine filters: These filters are able to remove microplastics through their fine pores.iv) Membrane filters: These filters use porous membranes to remove microplastics from thegas, preferably air or nitrogen.v) High velocity filters (cyclone filters): These filters use high gas velocities to remove micro-plastics from the gas, preferably air or nitrogen. Suitable filters i) to v) are known in the art.Preferred are filters according to i), iii), iv) and v), especially preferred is an efficiency-increasingcombination of two or three filters, e.g. iii) + i) or iii) + v) or iii) + iv) or iii) + v) + i) or v) + i).The means for collecting shredded plastic is preferably selected from containers, tanks, sacksand drums.In the context of the present invention, the term “plastic waste” preferably refers to any plastic material discarded after use, i.e., the plastic material has reached the end of its useful life and is considered post-consumer waste. The plastic waste can be pure polymeric plastic waste, mixed plastic waste or film waste, including soiling, adhesive materials, fillers, residues etc. The plastic waste may have an oxygen content, a nitrogen content, sulfur content, halogen content and op- tionally also a heavy metal content. The plastic waste can originate from any plastic material containing source. In another aspect, the term “plastic waste” also includes production waste e.g., from polymer processing in factories. Accordingly, the term “plastic waste” includes industrial and domestic plastic waste and includ- ing used tires and agricultural and horticultural plastic material. Typically, plastic waste is a mixture of different plastic materials, including hydrocarbon plastics, e.g., polyolefins such as polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE) and polypropylene, polystyrene, and co- polymers thereof, etc., and polymers composed of carbon, hydrogen, and other elements such as chlorine, fluorine, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, silicone, etc., for example chlorinated plastics, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), etc., nitrogen-containing plas- tics, such as polyamides (PA), polyurethanes (PU), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), etc., oxygen-containing plastics such as polyesters, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycar- bonate (PC), etc., silicones and / or sulfur bridges crosslinked rubbers. Typically, the plastic material comprises additives, such as processing aids, plasticizers, flame retardants, pigments, light stabilizers, lubricants, impact modifiers, antistatic agents, antioxi- dants, etc. These additives may comprise elements other than carbon and hydrogen. For exam- ple, bromine is mainly found in connection to flame retardants. Heavy metal compounds may be used as lightfast pigments and / or stabilizers in plastics. Cadmium, zinc, and lead may be pre- sent in heat stabilizers and slip agents used in plastics manufacturing. The plastic waste can also contain residues. Residues in the sense of the invention are contaminants adhering to theplastic waste. The additives and residues are usually present in an amount of less than 50 wt%,preferably less than 30 wt%, more preferably less than 20 wt%, even more preferably less than10 wt%, based on the total weight of the dry weight plastic. Examples of rubber waste (which is also considered “plastic waste” in the sense of the present invention) include end-of-life tires, rubber waste produced during manufacturing processes and discarded rubber containing products such as latex examining gloves and gaskets. The plastic waste may generally be any kind of plastic waste, for example mixed plastic waste (MPW), automotive-shredder-residue (ASR), end-of-life tires (ELT), and / or plastic solid waste (PSW), present in municipal solid waste (MSW), electronic waste. Mixed plastic waste (MPW) is generally post-consumer plastic packaging waste. It generally has a complex and unpredictable composition (due to high polymer heterogeneity, additives, and contaminants). MPW for example comprises 50 to 80 wt% of different kinds of plastics, e.g.LDPE, HDPE, PP, PET, PS, EPS, PVC, ABS and 20 to 50 wt% of other fractions (metals, tex-tiles, paper, and inert materials). One example for MPW is the waste from the German yellowbag. One example for MPW is shown in Table 1 in F. Ardolino et al., Waste Management 171(2023) 662–675. The table shows a fractional and elementary composition of a reference MPW,composed by 70 wt% of not recyclable plastic packaging and 30 wt% of other fractions. Saidreference waste composition derived from that estimated by Lase et al. (2023) (Lase, et al.,2023. How much can chemical recycling contribute to plastic waste recycling in Europe? An as- sessment using material flow analysis modelling. Res. Cons. Rec.192, 106916 https: / / doi.org / 10.1016 / j.resconrec.2023.106916. - accessed on April 15, 2024), which is representative ofpost-consumer plastic packaging waste currently not recycled in Europe and obtained by a ma- terial flow analysis (MFA) implemented at European scale. This waste stream contains other fractions (polymers from other sectors, metals, textiles, paper, and inert materials), whose amount and typology are obtained from direct measurements carried out by the Italian National Consortium for the Collection and Recycling of Plastic Packages (Corepla, 2023. Italian Na- tional Consortium for the Collection and Recycling of Plastic Packages (https: / / www.core-pla.it / en - accessed on April 15, 2024). Personal communication by A. Furiano and D. Pollon.)

[0002] The automotive shredder residue (ASR) may be obtainable, preferably is obtained, by shred- ding vehicles. Preferably, the automotive shredder residue is obtainable by depollution of the vehicles, dismantling the vehicles, shredding the vehicles, and separating metal particles from the shredded vehicles. The vehicles are typically end-of-life vehicles (also called “ELV”), which are typically at least 15years old. The vehicles can be passenger cars, light-duty or heavy-duty trucks, motorbikes, autility vehicle, an agricultural vehicle, or recreational vehicles. The vehicle can be an electric ve-hicle, such as a fully electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle.In depollution of vehicles hazardous liquids such as fuel, lubricating oil, coolants, brake fluidsand batteries can be removed from the vehicles prior to shredding.The dismantling of vehicles may comprise selective removal of parts, such as engines, gear-boxes, tires, glass and plastics, for being reused as spare parts for the second-hand market. The dismantling may also comprise the removal of larger plastic components, such as bumpers, dashboard, fluid containers for recycling the plastics separately. The ASR may comprise further waste from other sources. For examples, garbage from the last owners may remain in the trunk or interior of the vehicles. The advantage of the present pro- cess is that it can handle broadly varying compositions of the ASR. The shredding can be made with a vehicle shredder machine. Vehicle shredder machines are manufactured in different sizes. Typically, a vehicle shredder machine comprises a heavy fast- turning rotor, which may revolve in a vertical or a horizontal plane and is often equipped with swinging hammers. The vehicle shredder machine tears and shreds the car hulk until its partsare reduced to fragments with a desired fragment size, such as up to 30 cm, preferably 1 mm to15 cm. Then the fragments may pass through grids and leave the rotor housing.After shredding, the metal fragments such as ferrous and non-ferrous metal fragments can beseparated from the shredded vehicles. The ferrous metal fragments can be removed by mag-netic separators. The non-ferrous metal fragments can be separated from the shredded vehi-cles by eddy current separators, by heavy media sink / float units which separate on the basis ofdensity, or by manual sorting. Typically, 60 – 90 wt% of the vehicle weight is metal, which canbe separated from the shredded vehicle.The automotive shredder residue may represent about 10 - 40 wt%, preferably from 15 - 35,and in particular from 20 – 30 wt% of the original vehicle weight.The automotive shredder residue may comprise fragments of various polymeric vehicle parts,such as fragments of bumpers, interior panels, dashboard, cable insulation, fuel tank, electrical insulation, flexible foam seating, foam insulation panels, automotive suspension bushings, elec- trical potting compounds, car body parts, pillar coverings, spoilers polymer parts coated with au- tomotive paint, wheel covers, gears, bushes, cams, bearings, weatherproof coatings, interior and exterior trims, fuel systems, gear housings, headlamp retainer, engine cover, connector housings, door handles, carburetor components, exterior mirror components, windscreen wiper components, windscreen wiper protective housings, decorative grilles, cover strips, roof rails, window frames, sliding roof frames, antenna cladding covers, front and rear lights, radiator grill and body exterior parts, engine covers, cylinder head covers, intake pipes, cylinder head co- vers, engine covers, housings for charge air coolers, charge air cooler valves. The automotive shredder residue may comprise fragments of various polymeric vehicle parts,such as fragments of- bumpers, interior panels, dashboard, cable insulation, where these fragments are often madeof polypropylene;- fuel tank, electrical insulation, where these fragments are often made of polyethylene;- flexible foam seating, foam insulation panels, automotive suspension bushings, electrical pot-ting compounds, hard plastic parts, transmission mounts, motor mounts, seals, impact foam parts, where these fragments are often made of polyurethane;- body parts, dashboards, wheel covers, where these fragments are often made of acryloni-trile-butadiene-styrene;- gears, bushes, cams, bearings, charge air coolers, cylinder head covers, oil pans, enginecooling systems, thermostat and heater housings, exhaust systems including mufflers and housings for catalytic converters, air intake manifolds, timing chain belt front covers, where these fragments are often made of nylon 6 or nylon 6.6.;- interior and exterior trims, fuel systems, small gears, where these fragments are often madeof polyoxymethylene;- wiper arm and gear housings, headlamp retainer, connector housings, where these frag-ments are often made of polyethylene terephthalate; and- door handles, bumpers, carburetor components, where these fragments are often made ofpolybutylene terephthalate. The automotive shredder residue may comprise at least 30 wt%, preferably at least 40 wt%,and in particular at least 50 wt% of the fragments of the polymeric vehicle parts.The automotive shredder residue may comprise at least 20 wt%, preferably at least 30 wt%, and in particular at least 40 wt% of the fragments of the polymeric vehicle parts, which are black polymeric vehicle parts. The black polymeric vehicle parts usually comprise carbon black pig- ments. The automotive shredder residue may comprise up to 15 wt%, preferably up to 10 wt%, and in particular up to 5 wt% of metal fragments, such as ferrous and non-ferrous metal particles. The automotive shredder residue may comprise up to 15 wt%, preferably up to 10 wt%, and in particular up to 5 wt% of wood and cardboard. The automotive shredder residue may comprise up to 15 wt%, preferably up to 10 wt%, and in particular up to 5 wt% of glass fragments, e.g. broken window glass fragments. The automotive shredder residue can be separated into a shredder light fraction (also called SLF) and a shredder heavy fraction (also called SHF). The separation of the SLF and the SHF can be achieved by air classification. Another air classification can be made by the rotary move- ment of the vehicle shredder machine may create a fanning action that can blow out the shred- der light fraction, and the shredder heavy fraction may leave the vehicle shredder machine through a grid.The SLF can be present in an amount of 55 - 90 wt%, preferably 65 - 85 wt%, and in particularat 70 - 80 wt% of the automotive shredder residue. The SHF may represent the remainingamount to 100 wt%.The SHF can be present in an amount of 10 - 45 wt%, preferably 15 - 35 wt%, and in particularat 20 - 30 wt% of the automotive shredder residue. The SLF may represent the remainingamount to 100 wt%. The SLF usually contains a lower weight percentage of rubber particles than the SHF. The SLF usually contains a lower weight percentage of glass particles than the SHF. The SLF usually contains a lower weight percentage of metal particles than the SHF. The SLF usually contains a higher weight percentage of polyurethane foam particles than the SHF. The SLF usually contains a lower weight percentage of solid and sand than the SHF.Figure 1 shows a possible flow scheme with a suitable process sequence for obtaining the auto-motive shredder residue. Starting from the vehicles, followed by optional depollution, followed by optional dismantling, followed by shredding the vehicles, followed by optional separating the metal fragments from the shredded vehicle, then the ASR is obtained, followed by optional sep- aration of the ASR in shredder light fraction and shredder heavy fraction. According to https: / / www.etrma.org / wp-content / uploads / 2019 / 09 / appendices-a-framework-for-effective-elt-management-systems-final-25.6.10.pdf - accessed on April 15, 2024, End of life tire(ELT) is defined as follows:“a tire that can no longer be used for its original purpose; all tires including passenger car, truck,airplane, agricultural, 2-wheel & off-road tires result in ELTs; however, most ELTs result fromcar and truck tires”.Tires are not made only of rubber, which generally represents 35 to 55 wt%, e.g. around 45 wt%of their mass, but also for example of steels belts, textile overlays, reinforcing fillers and / or addi-tives. The rubber fraction of tires is natural rubber and / or synthetic rubber (mainly butadienerubber and styrene-butadiene rubber). The composition of passenger car and truck tires differsmainly for the higher natural rubber content present in truck tires.In Table 1 in F. Valentini, A. Pegoretti, Advanced Industrial and Engineering Polymer Research5 (2022) 203-213 an Average composition of fuel-efficient passenger car and truck tyres is men-tioned: Plastic solid waste (PSW) could be categorised depending on its source or point of origin, i.e.municipal, industrial, medical, etc. However, the majority of PSW is generated from householdsand commercial sources which combined are referred to as municipal plastic waste (MPW) (seeabove). This type of SW constitutes mainly the following plastic resin types: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVC) (Miandad et al., 2017). MPW are typically thermoplastics which are thermally recyclable due to their non-resistant to heat nature. According to the ISO 15270 (2008), PSW could be re- cycled and treated to produce raw materials and the productions of high calorific compounds which could be used as fuels for energy production. The management of PSW in general will rid the environment of the accumulation of PSW and prevent pollution problems from landfilling such as toxins leaching that can contaminate ground water aquifers (Al-Salem et al., 2015) (see Achilleas Constantinou et al. “Plastic Solid Waste (PSW) in the Context of Life Cycle Assess- ment (LCA) and Sustainable Management”, 2019) In a European Commission Proposal for a directive of the European parliament and the councilamending directive 2008 / 98 / EC on waste, vol. 275; 2015, municipal solid waste (MSW) is de-fined as:“(a) mixed waste and separately collected waste from households including: paper and card-board, glass, metals, plastics, bio-waste, wood, textiles, waste electrical and electronic equip-ment, waste batteries and accumulators; bulky waste, including mattresses and furniture; gar-den waste, including leaves, grass clipping; (b)mixed waste and separately collected waste fromother sources that is comparable to householdwaste in nature, composition and quantity; (c)market cleansing waste and waste from street cleaning services, including street sweepings,the content of litter containers, waste from park and garden maintenance.”Generally, MSW comprises 5 to 20 wt% of plastics of all kinds like LDPE, HDPE, PP, PET, PS, EPS, PVC, ABS.Electronic waste (E-waste) is any electrical or electronic equipment that has been discarded.This includes working and broken items that are thrown away. E-waste is particularly dangerous due to toxic chemicals that naturally leach from the metals inside when buried.Common E-waste items are for example home appliances like microwaves, home entertainmentdevices, electric cookers, heaters, fans, communications and information technology devices like cell phones, smartphones, desktop computers, computer monitors, laptops, circuit boards,hard drives, home entertainment devices like DVDs, Blue Ray Players, stereos, televisions,video game systems, fax machines, copiers, printers, electronic utilities like massage chairs,heating pads, remote controls, television remotes, electrical cords, lamps, smart lights, night lights, treadmills, FitBits, smart watches, heart monitors, diabetic testing equipment, office andmedical equipment like copiers / printers, IT server racks, IT servers, cords and cables, WiFi don-gles, dialysis machines, imaging equipment, phone & PBX systems, audio & video equipment, network hardware (i.e. servers, switches, hubs, etc.), power strips & power supplies, uninter-rupted power supplies (UPS Systems), power distribution systems (PDU’s), autoclave, defibrilla-tor. However, the definition of e-waste is likely to keep expanding. In an era of rapid technologi- cal advancement, more and more highly sophisticated electronic goods are being invented and manufactured.E-waste generally contains some form of toxic materials, including beryllium, cadmium, mer-cury, and lead. Said toxic materials pose serious environmental risks to our soil, water, air, and wildlife. When E-waste gets buried at a landfill, it can dissolve in microscopic traces into the gross sludge that permeates at the landfill. Eventually, these traces of toxic materials pool into the ground below the landfill. This is known as leaching. The more E-waste and metals at the landfill, the more of these trace toxic materials show up in the groundwater. Having an environmentally-friendly source of recycled metal is better for the environment than a company digging up new sources of ore. The recycling of e-waste therefore serves a lot of useful purposes. Virtually all electronic waste contains some form of recyclable material. That includes materials like plastic, glass, and met- als.The present invention further relates to a method for shredding plastic waste comprising shred-ding the plastic waste in the inventive shredding assembly.Preferably, in said method the plastic waste is shredded byai) directing the plastic, preferably by a hopper, into the shredding chamber;bi) shredding the plastic by one or more shredding tools; andbii) optionally classifying the shredded plastic, preferably by one or more meshs, preferably byhalf round meshs or by rectangular meshs; andci) optionally collecting shredded and optionally classified plastic;wherein the shredding chamber is dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed and having a discon-tinuous or continuous gas flow (generally an air flow or nitrogen flow) in the chamber which passes at least partially at least one particle filter for microplastics. Generally, microplastics are formed during the shredding process. Preferably, at least part ofthe microplastics is collected in at least one particle filter for microplastics of the shreddingchamber. The collected microplastics are preferably recycled by physical recycling or chemical recycling,preferably by chemical recycling, more preferably by solvolysis, gasification or pyrolysis. Exam-ples for suitable chemical recycling processes are described in EP 0713906 A1 andWO 95 / 03375 A1. The ChemCycling®-process (https: / / www.basf.com / global / de / who-we-are / sustainability / we-drive-sustainable-solutions / circular-economy / mass-balance-ap-proach / chemcycling.html - accessed on April 15, 2024) is especially suitable.By the inventive shredding assembly and by the inventive process, the plastic waste recycling yield is improved by recycling the microplastics formed in the shredding process. Further, the inventive shredding assembly and by the inventive process are especially environmental friendly, since the microplastics formed by shredding the plastic waste are not released into the environment. Therefore, by the inventive shredding assembly and by the inventive process a relevant problem in plastic waste recycling has been solved. The microplastics collected in the inventive shredding assembly and in the inventive process can be recycled together with the shredded plastic waste or independently from the shreddedplastic waste. Suitable recycling processes are physical recycling or chemical recycling, prefera-bly by chemical recycling, more preferably by solvolysis, gasification or pyrolysis. Especiallysuitable recycling processes mentioned above and below.The present invention further relates to a method for recycling plastic waste comprising thesteps:- optionally pre-treating, e.g. sorting, the plastic waste;- shredding the plastic waste in the inventive shredding assembly or by the inventive pro-cess;- recycling the plastic waste by physical recycling or chemical recycling, preferably bychemical recycling, more preferably by solvolysis, gasification or pyrolysis. Suitable kinds of plastic waste are mentioned above. The inventive shredding assembly and the inventive shredding process are described above. The recycling the plastic waste by physical recycling or chemical recycling, preferably by chemi- cal recycling, more preferably by solvolysis, gasification or pyrolysis is described below (see step vi)). Pre-treatment It is generally possible to pre-treat the waste prior to shredding. Suitable pre-treatment technologies are for example sorting, washing, float-sink and crush- ing / grinding / cutting and also chemical washing technologies, deodorization, deinking, delamina- tion and solvent-based extraction methods. Deodorization and deinking techniques enable theremoval of odor constituents and inks present in the plastic waste, respectively. Delaminationcan tackle the issue of multilayer materials by selective decomposition of polymer layers and / or adhesives. Solvent-based extraction methods are able to remove several additives from the pol- ymer matrix. Solvent-based extraction methods can be divided into two groups: dissolution-pre- cipitation and solid–liquid extraction methods, which include ultrasonic extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction and accelerated solvent extraction. Suitable pre-treatment steps are for example described in: Recent Advances in Pre-Treatmentof Plastic Packaging Waste Written By Rita Kol, Martijn Roosen, Sibel Ügdüler, Kevin M. VanGeem, Kim Ragaert, Dimitris S. Achilias and Steven De Meester Submitted: 06 June 2021 Re-viewed: 10 July 2021 Published: 13 August 2021 DOI: 10.5772 / intechopen.99385.Different pre-treatment steps can be combined.In the inventive method for recycling plastic waste, the pre-treatment, e.g. sorting, of the plasticwaste is optionally. In one embodiment, no pre-treatment, e.g. sorting, of the plastic waste iscarried out. In a further embodiment, the plastic waste is pre-treated sorted by processes and means known in the art, for example by the processes mentioned above. In case that a sorting is carried out, it is carried out in one or more steps. In one embodiment, atleast a part or all of non plastic components of the plastic waste is / are sorted out. It is furtherpossible that the plastic present in the plastic waste is further sorted, e.g. by color, density, size,or other physical properties (e.g. elastomers, thermoplastics, duroplastics). For a sorting of theplastic waste by density, additives (such as flotation aids) are sometimes added.There are optionally additional sorting steps downstream of the shredding since the commi-nuted plastic waste can for example be separated from any extraneous substances still present by exloiting their physical properties (e.g. density).In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps:i) optionally pre-treating, e.g. sorting, the plastic waste;ii) shredding the plastic waste in the inventive shredding assembly or by the inventive pro-cess;iii) optionally washing and drying the shredded plastic waste;iv) melt extruding the shredded and optionally washed and dried plastic waste;v) pelletizing the extruded plastic waste; andvi) recycling the plastic waste by physical recycling or chemical recycling, preferably bychemical recycling, more preferably by solvolysis, gasification or pyrolysis.There are optionally additional sorting steps downstream of the shredding (as mentionedabove). Steps i) and ii) have been described above. Step iii)The shredded plastic waste is optionally washed, for example to remove extraneous compo-nents adhering to the surface (e.g. paper, glue and dirt). The washing is carried out by any pro-cess known in the art and in any suitable washer known. The shredded plastic waste is for ex-ample loaded in washings baths or into porous washing containers like porous fabric wash bags as washer that can retain the shredded plastic waste while allowing for water and detergent toremove the contaminants. The effluent from the washer that comprises water, detergent, andany fine particle contamination preferably undergoes a filtration process. Suitable filters are known in the art. The resulting filtered water can then be reutilized for other processes, for ex-ample: cooling for the drying and extrusion process, and further washing of subsequent plastic.In an optional drying step water, especially surface water and moisture content are removedfrom the wet and cleaned shredded plastic waste. The drying is carried out by any suitable dryerknown in the art, e.g. by a desiccant dryer. The shredded plastic waste is dried to a moisturecontent of less than approximately 3 wt%, preferably less than 1 wt% using variable drying pa-rameters such as the drying temperature and drying session time, which may be varied in ac- cordance with the material type.Steps iv) and v)In one embodiment of the inventive recycling process, the shredded and optionally washed and dried plastic waste is melt extruded and pelletized, before recycling in step vi). Suitable extruding and pelletizing processes and extruding and pelletizing means are known in the art. The temperature of the melt extrusion in step iv) depends on the plastic waste and is generally known by a person skilled in the art.The extrusion can be for example a single-screw extrusion: (it uses a single rotating screw totransport, melt, and shape the plastic material) or a twin-screw extrusion (twin-screw extruders have two screws that rotate in tandem).The melt extruded plastic waste is in a further step v) pelletized. The pelletized plastic waste isthen used in the recycling step vi). Step vi) As mentioned above, the microplastic collected in the inventive process can be recycled sepa-rately or together with the shredded (other) plastic waste, e.g. in one embodiment together withthe pellets (pelletized extruded plastic waste) obtained in step v).Generally, also further feedstock can be added in the recycling process of the microplastic col-lected in the inventive process and / or the shredded (other) plastic waste according to the pre-sent invention,, e.g. feedstock is selected from the group comprising biomass, municipal solid waste (MSW), refuse-derived fuel (RDF), shredder residues such as car shredder residues, tex- tiles, plastic waste, packaging waste, pyrolysis oils made from biomass, pyrolysis oils made from mixed plastic waste, pyrolysis oils made from end-of-life tires, industrial waste, and mix- tures thereof. Such feedstocks can also be mixed with fossil feedstocks such as coal, oil, vac- uum residues, and natural gas. The term “biomass” includes but is not limited to wood, wood pellets, wood chips, straw, ligno- cellulosic biomass, energy crops, algae, biobased-oils, biobased-fats, and mixtures thereof. The recycling is carried out by physical recycling or chemical recycling, preferably by chemical recycling, more preferably by solvolysis, gasification or pyrolysis. Chemical and physical recycling plastic processes, especially solvolysis, gasification and pyroly-sis are known in the art and for example described in M.P. Shaver et al., Chem. Rev.2024, 124,2617−2650 (especially solvolysis (depolymerization)), Shah HH, Amin M, Iqbal A, Nadeem I, Kalin M, Soomar AM and Galal AM (2023), A review on gasification and pyrolysis of waste plas-tics. Front. Chem. 10:960894. doi: 10.3389 / fchem.2022.960894 – accessed on April 15, 2024(especially gasification and pyrolysis), Moliner, C.; Pasquale, G.; Arato, E. Municipal Plastic-Waste Recycling through Pyrogasification. Energies 2024, 17, 1206. https: / / doi.org / 10.3390 / en17051206 – accessed on April 15, 2024 (especially pyrolysis), P. Biessey, etal. Chem. Ing. Tech.2023, 95, No. 8, 1199–1214, and the documents mentioned therein.Further examples for suitable chemical recycling processes are described in EP 0713906 A1and WO 95 / 03375 A1. The ChemCycling®-process (https: / / www.basf.com / global / de / who-we-are / sustainability / we-drive-sustainable-solutions / circular-economy / mass-balance-ap-proach / chemcycling.html - accessed on April 15, 2024) is especially suitable.Pyrolysis Especially the microplastic collected according to the present invention is an ideal feedstock forpyrolysis. There is a very good heat transfer due to the small particle size and therefore reducedenergy consumption and faster conversion of the microplastic feedstock into pyrolysis products.Further, the microparticles can be easily used directly in fluidized bed pyrolysis reactors (e.g. "Hamburg process" (also known as "BP Chemicals Pyrolysis Process"), https: / / de.wikipe-dia.org / wiki / Hamburger_Verfahren - accessed on April 15, 2024).However, also the other (shredded) plastic waste obtained according to the present invention isa useful feedstock for pyrolysis. In the context of the present invention, the term “pyrolysis” generally relates to a thermal de-composition or degradation of plastic waste (microplastic collected according to the present in-vention and / or the other (shredded) plastic waste obtained according to the present invention)(“feedstock”) under inert conditions and results in a gas, a liquid, and a solid char fraction. Dur- ing the pyrolysis, the feedstock is converted in a pyrolysis unit into a great variety of chemicals including gases such as H2, C1 to C4−alkanes, C2 to C4−alkenes, ethyne, propyne, 1-butyne, py-rolysis oil generally having a boiling temperature of 25 °C to 500 °C or more and char. The di-rect products from such a pyrolysis are “pyrolysis gas” and solid products. The liquid product “pyrolysis oil” is then separated by condensation from the “pyrolysis gas”. The term “pyrolysis” includes slow pyrolysis, fast pyrolysis, flash pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis. These pyrolysis types differ regarding process temperature, heating rate, residence time, feedstock particle size, etc. resulting in different product quality. The pyrolysis unit may be operated adiabatically, iso- thermally, nonadiabatically, non-isothermally, or combinations thereof. The pyrolysis reactions of this disclosure may be carried out in a single stage or in multiple stages. For example, the py- rolysis unit can comprise two reactor vessels fluidly connected in series. In the context of the present invention, the term “pyrolysis oil” is understood to mean any oil originating from the pyrolysis of plastic waste. The term “plastic waste” is described above. The pyrolysis oil is obtained and / or obtainable from pyrolysis of such plastic waste.One type of waste mentioned above is ELT (End-of-life tires). ELT comprise further ingredientssuch as textiles and organic and inorganic additives which may be separated from the rubber portion of end-of-life tires prior to pyrolysis. Pyrolysis oils obtained by pyrolysis of (predomi- nantly) end-of-life tires are also known as tire pyrolysis oils (TPO). To obtain the pyrolysis oil according to the present invention, the feedstock is inserted into a py- rolysis reactor using a dosing unit such as a screw, an extruder, a rotary valve, a pneumatic conveyor or a liquid injector. The feedstock is optionally pre-heated in e.g., a heat exchanger prior to insertion into the pyrolysis reactor and / or subjected to a pre-pyrolysis at a temperaturein the range of, for example, from about 200 °C to about 360 °C. Next, the feedstock is heatedin the pyrolysis reactor to a temperature in the range of, for example, from about 350 °C toabout 900 °C, more preferably in the range of from 400 °C to about 550 °C, and a pressure inthe range of, for example, from about 0.5 bar to about 2 bar(abs), more preferably in the rangeof from 0.9 bar to about 1.5 bar(abs).The pyrolysis reactor is preferably selected from the group comprising fluidized bed reactors, moving bed reactors, entrained flow reactors, screw reactors, extruders, stirred tank reactors and rotary kiln reactor. Preferably, the pyrolysis is performed in the pyrolysis reactor under an inert atmosphere exempt of oxygen or air.Pyrolysis processes as such are known. They are described, e.g., in EP 0713906 A1 andWO 95 / 03375 A1. Suitable pyrolysis oils are also commercially available. The pyrolysis oil istypically a liquid at 15 °C or a wax at said temperature. “Liquid at 15 °C” in the terms of the pre-sent invention means that the pyrolysis oil has a density of at most 1.3 g / ml, e.g., a density in the range from 0.65 to 0.98 g / ml, at 15 °C and 1013 mbar, as determined according to DIN EN ISO 12185. Optionally, the pyrolysis oil is subjected to one or more methods selected from filtration, centrif- ugation, adsorption, washing, extraction. Such optional treatment methods are for example de-scribed in WO 2021 / 224287 A1, WO 2023 / 061834 A1, EP 0713906 A1 and WO 95 / 03375 A1which are incorporated herein by reference. A skilled person knows how and in which cases to use treatment methods disclosed in said documents and comparable treatment methods dis- closed elsewhere. Gasification As mentioned above, the microplastic collected in the inventive process can be recycled sepa-rately or together with the shredded (other) plastic waste, i.e. in one embodiment together withthe pellets (pelletized extruded plastic waste) obtained in step v). Generally, also further feedstock can be added in the gasification process of the microplastic collected in the inventive process and / or the shredded (other) plastic waste according to the present invention, e.g. feedstock is selected from the group comprising biomass, municipal solid waste (MSW), refuse-derived fuel (RDF), shredder residues such as car shredder residues, tex-tiles, plastic waste, packaging waste, pyrolysis oils made from biomass, pyrolysis oils madefrom mixed plastic waste, pyrolysis oils made from end-of-life tires, industrial waste, and mix- tures thereof. Such feedstocks can also be mixed with fossil feedstocks such as coal, oil, vac- uum residues, and natural gas. The term “biomass” is explained above. Especially the microplastic collected according to the present invention is an ideal feedstock for gasification. “Entrained-flow" gasifiers generally require a pulverized feedstock (particle size generally <0.25 mm). Microplastics having a corresponding particle size therefore do not require a furthergrinding step. Pre-treatment (optional):Optionally, the feedstock is pre-treated before entering the gasifier. A suitable pre-treatmentmethod or combination of pre-treatment methods in a pre-treatment unit should provide a suffi- ciently homogeneous carbon-based feedstock to the gasification reaction and likewise enablethe continuous production of syngas by gasification of a feedstock.A pre-treatment method or a combination of more than one pre-treatment methods in a pre- treatment unit preferably results in a homogenization of the physical and / or chemical properties of the first feedstock and / or the second feedstock and / or the requirement(s) for a specific type of gasifier and / or the requirements for the optional at least one further chemical production unit for producing a chemical compound or mixture of chemical compounds. The pre-treatment method for the first feedstock and / or the second feedstock is preferably se- lected from the group comprising drying, comminution, classification, sorting, agglomeration, thermochemical methods, and biological methods. Thermochemical methods comprise pyrolysis and torrefaction. Gasification: Suitable gasifiers comprise counter-current fixed bed reactors, co-current-fixed bed reactors, bubbling fluidized bed reactors, circulation fluidized bed reactors, and downdraft or updraft en- trained flow reactors. The selection of size and reactor type depends on several parameters, in- cluding the composition of the feedstock, demand of products, moisture content and availability of the feedstock. Preferably, the gasifier is an „oxygen blown“ gasifier, i.e., oxygen is preferably used as the oxidant in suitable gasifiers listed above. Another preferred type of gasifiers are plasma gasifiers, particularly fixed-bed plasma gasifiers. The electrical power required for gen- eration of the plasma is most preferably provided from renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy and tidal energy.The gasification reaction in a gasifier is typically carried out at a temperature > 700 °C in thepresence of a sub-stoichiometric amount of an oxidant such as oxygen, air, steam, supercritical water, CO2, or a mixture of the aforementioned. Oxygen is the most common oxidant used for gasification because of its easy availability and low cost. If steam acts as oxidant, the syngashas a higher first molar ratio H2 : CO than in case if air is used as oxidant. For example, a typi-cal molar ratio “air : combined feedstock” ranges from 0.3 to < 1. CO2 when used is preferablyprovided by a carbon capture process such as separation of CO2from syngas by an absorption or adsorption process during syngas purification. The conversion of a feedstock in the gasifier produces a syngas which consists primarily of H2, CO, CO2, methane, other hydrocarbons, and impurities. Said syngas has a dedicated molar ra- tio H2 : CO when leaving the gasifier which ranges from about 0.1 : 1 to about 3 : 1 and depends on the type of solid and / or liquid feedstocks used, the oxidant and other reaction conditions ap- plied such as temperature and / or residence time of the reactants in the gasifier. Syngas Purification: Typical impurities in the raw syngas obtained from the gasification reaction in a gasifier com- prise chlorides, sulfur-containing organic compounds such as sulfur dioxide, trace heavy metals (e.g., as respective salts) and particulate residues. Various chemical and / or physical methods for removal of such impurities from said raw syngas such as filtration, scrubbing, hydrotreatment and ab- / adsorption are known and can be chosen and adapted according to the type and re- spective concentration of the impurities in said raw syngas and the tolerance to such impurities in the successive process steps. Some selected methods for removal of impurities from said raw syngas will be discussed in more detail. One or more of said methods can also be imple-mented into the at least one syngas purification unit of the syngas producing unit comprising atleast one gasifier. However, this selection of methods is not limiting the scope of the present in- vention. Bulk particulate impurities can be removed from the raw syngas by a cyclone and / or filters, fine particles, and chlorides by wet scrubbing, trace heavy metals, catalytic hydrolysis for converting sulfur-containing organic compounds to H2S and acid gas removal for extracting sulfur-contain- ing gases such as H2S. Bulky and fine particles in the syngas may also be removed with a quench in a soot water washing unit. A gasification reaction usually results in further reaction products such as solid and / or highly vis- cous carbonaceous residues (e.g., char and / or tar) which can be further treated in separatesteps not relevant for the systems and methods according to the present invention.CO / H2 Separation: CO can be separated from the syngas in a syngas separation unit which is downstream of and fluidically connected to the syngas producing unit comprising at least one gasifier. CO can be separated from syngas by cryogenic separation methods, commonly referred to as a “cold box” which makes use of the different boiling points of CO and H2. H2can be separated using H2-se-lective membranes through which H2 permeates and is thereby separated from the syngasstream. Solvolysis Solvolysis is a process that is typically carried out in a liquid phase containing solvents that al- low for the cleavage of specific bonds in the polymers, thus leading to oligomers and monomers which can be reintegrated in polymer synthesis generally after purification. Depending on the chemical agent used in the process, different bonds such as ether, ester or acid amid bonds are cleaved, so that respective processes can only be applied to polymers containing such bonds. Suitable candidates are mostly thermoplastics and thermosets such as polyesters, polyamides and polyurethanes. Respectively, the design of the solvolysis step is thus highly selective regarding the used chemi- cal agent to ensure that the desired degradation steps take place. Therefore, the known and available solvolysis processes are typically differentiated and designated based on the em- ployed chemical agent, although in general all relevant process conditions might vary in the dif- ferent processes. Examples for typical solvolysis processes and conditions are mentioned in P. Biessey, et al. Chem. Ing. Tech.2023, 95, No.8, 1199–1214, especially tables 2 and 3. Solvoly-sis includes according to the present invention depolymerization processes (depolymerization)such as alcoholysis, hydrolysis, acidolysis, aminolysis and various interchange reactions that produce oligomers or monomers. Biocatalytic processes, wherein for example enzymes are used instead of a chemical agent to break the carbon bonds in plastics in accordance with the solvolysis mechanism, play an increasing import role in the field of solvolysis processes.Solvolytic techniques fall under the categories of chemical or tertiary recycling options.An example for chemical recycling by solvolysis is described in WO 2021 / 211531 A1.It is also possible to combine different recycling processes, e.g. to carry out a solvolysis for aselective separation of polymers having bonds which can be cleaved by solvolysis such asether, ester or acid amid bonds, and subsequently a pyrolysis of the remaining plastic wastecomponents. See for example PCT / EP / 2023 / 078748.The present invention further relates to a plastic recycling facility comprising:A optionally pre-treatments means, e.g. sorting means, for plastic waste;B a shredding assembly according to the present invention;C optionally washing and drying means;D optionally a melt extruder;E optionally pelletizing means; andF optionally means for collecting pelletized plastic waste. Preferably, the inventive method for recycling plastic waste is carried out in the inventive plastic recycling facility. The shredding assembly (B) in the inventive plastic recycling facility is the inventive shredding assembly described above.Suitable pre-treatment means, e.g. sorting means, washing and drying means, melt extruder,pelletizing means and means for collecting pelletized plastic, are known by a person skilled inthe art. Sorting means (A) (optional) The plastics are either sorted manually or using automated procedures. The aim of the sorting is to achieve the mostly purely possible sorted plastic fractions. Interfering materials which do not belong in the fractions to be recycled are removed here. Metals are normally separated by metal separators. Generally, the belts with the plastic waste products to be sorted pass through sorting booths. Workers separate the plastics manually according to fractions and at the same time remove the undesirable components. In the case of automatic sorting the extraneous components are identified generally using opti- cal and / or spectrometric detection techniques and they are then usually blown out in a con- trolled fashion from the material flow.Further the plastic waste may be sorted for example by its density. For this purpose, additives(such as flotation aids) are sometimes added. There are optionally additional sorting means downstream of the shredding since the commi-nuted plastic waste can for example be separated from any extraneous substances still presentby exloiting their physical properties (e.g. density). Examples for suitable sorting means are hydro cyclones, float-sink separators, gravity separa- tors.Washing and drying means (C) (optional)The plastic fractions are generally cleaned in a washer, for example in washing baths or porouswashing baths, e.g. porous fabric wash bags. Extraneous components adhering to the surface (e.g. paper, glue and dirt) are detached in this process stage, for example partly with the addi- tion of washing agents, and separated off. In case of for example porous washing baths, e.g. porous fabric wash bags as washer that can retain the shredded plastic waste while allowing for water and detergent to remove the contami-nants. The effluent from the washer can be filtered and the resulting filtered water can then bereutilized for other processes, for example: cooling for the drying and extrusion process, andfurther washing of subsequent plastic. The optional drying is carried out by any suitable dryer known in the art, e.g. by a desiccantdryer, a hot air dryer, a straight compressed-air dryer, compressed-air units with a moisture-re-moval membrane, vacuum dryers, or combinations thereof.Melt extruder (D) and pelletizing means (E) (optional) In extrusion the shredded plastic waste is passed through an extrusion screw at elevated tem-peratures. At the chopping point there arises a granulate with defined properties (pellets).The extruder can be for example a single-screw extruder: (it uses a single rotating screw totransport, melt, and shape the plastic material) or a twin-screw extruder (twin-screw extrudershave two screws that rotate in tandem).Means for collecting pelletized plastic waste (F) (optional)The means for collecting the pelletized plastic waste is preferably selected from containers,tanks, sacks and drums.The present invention further relates to the use of a dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealedshredding chamber as housing for one or more shredding tools and optionally for one or moreclassifying means, wherein the shredding chamber comprises at least one particle filter for mi-croplastics which is located outside the shredding chamber;andto a dust-tight housing for a plastic waste shredding tool, the housing comprising at least oneparticle filter for microplastics, wherein the at least one particle filter is located outside the hous- ing. The terms dust-tight, gas-tight, shredding chamber, particle filter, microplastics, shredding tools,classifying means and preferred embodiments thereof have been described above.

Claims

Claims1. A plastic waste shredding assembly comprisinga) means for directing the plastic;b) a shredding chamber comprising inside the chamberbi) one or more shredding tools; andbii) optionally one or more classifying means; andc) optionally means for collecting shredded plastic;wherein the shredding chamber is dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed and has meansfor introducing a gas flow into the chamber and directing it at least partially through atleast one particle filter for microplastics.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein it additionally comprises for driving the shred-ding tool: a driver, preferably a motor, more preferably an electromotor; a transmission element, preferably a gear, a chain-sproket or a pully-belt.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shredding tool is selected from thegroup consisting of grinders, chippers, granulators, hammer mills, shear shredders, and all-purpose shredders.

4. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shredding tool com-prises: bia) cutter shafts, preferably a polygon or a welding, which cutter shaft is mounted hori-zontally or vertically in the shredding chamber; bib) one or more blades and / or cutters, preferably multiple tooths, two tooths, verticalplate, horizontal plate.

5. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one particle filteris located outside the shredding chamber and the gas flow is channelled at least partly from the shredding chamber into the at least one filter, and the filtered gas stream ob- tained is optionally channelled back to the chamber and / or outdoors.

6. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one filter is se-lected from the group consisting of electrostatic filters, activated charcoal filters, fine fil- ters, membrane filters, cyclone filters, and combinations thereof.

7. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the means for collectingshredded plastic is selected from containers, tanks, sacks and drums.

8. A method for shredding plastic waste comprising shredding the plastic waste in a shred-ding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for recycling plastic waste comprising the steps:- optionally pre-treating, e.g. sorting, the plastic waste;- shredding the plastic waste in a shredding assembly according to any one of claims1 to 7 or by a method according to claim 8;- recycling the plastic waste by chemical recycling, preferably by solvolysis, gasifica-tion or pyrolysis.

10. The method according to claim 9 comprising the steps:i) optionally pre-treating, e.g. sorting, the plastic waste;ii) shredding the plastic waste in a shredding assembly according to any one of claims1 to 7 or by a method according to claim 8;iii) optionally washing and drying the shredded plastic waste;iv) melt extruding the shredded and optionally washed and dried plastic waste;v) pelletizing the extruded plastic waste; andvi) recycling the plastic waste by chemical recycling, preferably by solvolysis, gasifica-tion or pyrolysis.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein microplastics are formed dur-ing shredding and at least part of the microplastics is collected in at least one particle filter for microplastics, and the microplastic is recycled by chemical recycling, preferably by sol- volysis, gasification or pyrolysis.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the plastic waste is mixedplastic waste (MPW), automotive-shredder-residue (ASR), end-of-life tires (ELT), and / or plastic solid waste (PSW), present in municipal solid waste (MSW), electronic waste.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the microplastics having anumber average diameter of 1 μm to less than 5 mm, preferably having a number averagediameter of 2 μm to less than 1 mm, more preferably 3 μm to less than 0.5 mm, accordingto DIN EN ISO 24187:2023(en).

14. A plastic recycling facility comprising:A optionally pre-treatment means, e.g. sorting means, for plastic waste;B a shredding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7;C optionally washing and drying means;D optionally a melt extruder;E optionally pelletizing means; andF optionally means for collecting pelletized plastic.

15. Use of a dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, sealed shredding chamber as housing for one ormore shredding tools and optionally one or more classifying means, wherein the shred- ding chamber comprises at least one particle filter for microplastics which is located out- side the shredding chamber.

16. An assembly comprising a dust-tight, preferably gas-tight, housing for a plastic wasteshredding tool, and at least one particle filter for microplastics, wherein the at least oneparticle filter is located outside the housing.

Images