Segmented Cartridge Recycling for Cured Sealant Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for recycling used cartridges, particularly those containing residual sealant or adhesive, are hindered by contamination and the inability to separate dried and cured materials from plastic, leading to inefficient recycling and environmental waste issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving transverse cutting of cartridges into four parts, followed by sorting, cleaning, and recycling each part separately, including removal of residual material, to facilitate the recycling of plastic components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If float-sink tank system is used for cleaning cartridges, then contaminants can be removed, but heavily contaminated cartridges with dried and cured product cannot be separated from plastic
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is divided into multiple segments: the plunger is separated from the cartridge body, and the cartridge body is cut into front and rear portions. This segmentation allows each component to be processed separately, enabling the plastic housing to be recycled even when heavily contaminated with cured sealant that cannot be removed by conventional cleaning methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The plunger is extracted and removed from the cartridge body before recycling. This extraction eliminates the source of heavy contamination (dried and cured product on the plunger) from the plastic housing, allowing the housing to be recycled through standard processes without being compromised by the contaminated components.
2Ease of operation
If cartridges are disposed of as ordinary waste, then disposal is simple, but they are considered hazardous and require legal disposal
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding entire cartridges as hazardous waste, the method recovers and recycles the plastic housing components after removing the plunger and residual material. This transforms the disposal process from simple but hazardous waste dumping to a structured recovery process that eliminates hazardous classification while maintaining operational simplicity.
3Productivity
If HDPE cartridges are recycled through conventional processes, then recycling is possible, but the plastic must be completely cleaned of all contaminants first
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cartridge into removable components (plunger, front portion, rear portion), the cleaning process becomes simpler and more effective. Each segment can be processed independently, reducing the complexity of trying to clean the entire assembled cartridge while maximizing the recycling rate of the plastic housing.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If incineration is used to solve waste disposal, then hazardous waste is eliminated, but environmental pollution and carbon footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
The method recovers plastic materials from cartridges that would otherwise be incinerated. By extracting and recycling the housing components, it eliminates hazardous waste without resorting to incineration, thereby avoiding the environmental pollution and carbon emissions associated with burning plastic waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the disposal parameter from thermal destruction (incineration) to mechanical separation and material recovery. This parameter change transforms the end-of-life process from harmful incineration to beneficial recycling, eliminating both hazardous waste and environmental pollution.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for recycling a cartridge for use in a cartridge gun, wherein the cartridge is composed of a plastic material and comprises a housing (10) with a front end (16) with an outlet (11), and a back end in the form of a plunger (14), said cartridge containing residual material (13), wherein the method comprises: - cutting the housing (10) transversely to the longitudinal axis of the housing in 4 parts (10.1), (10.2), (10.3) and (10.4), wherein part (10.1) comprises front end (16) with outlet (11), wherein part (10.2) comprises the part of the housing that contains residual material (13), wherein part (10.3) comprises the part of the housing that contains plunger (14) and part (10.4) comprises the remainder of the housing; - collecting at least one of the parts (10.1), (10.2), (10.3) or (10.4), - removing the residual material (13) from the collected part or parts, and - reuse of the plastic material of the collected part or parts from which the residual material (13) has been removed. The disclosure also relates to the use of material that comprises plastic material recycled from parts (10.1), (10.2), (10.3) and/or (10.4), collected by the method of the present disclosure. Moreover, the disclosure relates to sealants or adhesives, comprising residual material (13) collected and recycled by the method of the present disclosure. Such products may be used in a new cartridge, preferably a cartridge whose housing comprises recycled materials.