Separating laminated plastic packaging films using solvent dissolution

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Laminated plastics packaging is growing at ~14%p.a in the UK, but these materials cannot be recycled as they are physically bonded and cannot be readily separated. They mostly consist of PET (the bulk of the laminated film) and one other polymer, usually PP or PE that is used as a very thin lining film for food contact and for lid sealing. A package may typically contain 2 to 10% PP/PE. PET is used to produce a wide range of products and demand for recovered PET is growing. There will be an increasing need to recover laminated PET to avoid landfill or incineration charges. The main challenge is to separate these physically bonded polymers. Our idea is to use solvent dissolution of the smaller fraction PE/PP greatly accelerated by use of ultrasound technology to leave clean, solid PET. We aim to process PET & license the technology to other PET recyclers. We may license a PET recycling systems manufacturer to build plants and sell licenses, enabling broad exploitation in the UK & EU.