Recycled Polymer Intermediate
Ground, washed and sorted pieces of reclaimed thermoplastic packaging collected after end-use consumption represent post-consumer flake. The bulk material originates predominantly from collected beverage bottles and clear rigid food containers processed through industrial mechanical reclamation plants. Typical material consists of polyethylene terephthalate or high-density polyethylene chopped into rigid particles measuring between two and twelve millimeters across.
Mechanical Reclamation Sequence
Baled post-consumer bottles undergo debaling, optical sorting to remove colored containers, metal separation and wet granulator chopping. Granulated plastic passes through hot caustic wash systems containing surfactants to dissolve labels, adhesive glues and organic food residues. Sink-float separation tanks take advantage of specific gravity differences, causing heavy polyester flake to sink while lighter polyolefin bottle caps and label films float to the water surface for mechanical skimming.
Dewatering centrifuges and hot air drying columns remove surface moisture before flake discharge into bulk transport containers.
Technical Purity Metric
Quality specifications quantify intrinsic viscosity, moisture content, bulk density and allowable contamination levels measured in parts per million. Residual moisture must remain below 0.5 percent prior to storage, preventing hydrolytic degradation of polymer chains during remelting. Solid contaminants such as residual polyolefins, polyvinyl chloride, paper, glass and trace metals are quantified through thermal separation tests and visual melt-filter pressure rise monitoring.
Processing Degradation Boundary
Repeated thermal histories, environmental weathering and chemical exposure during previous lifecycles lower intrinsic viscosity relative to virgin polymer grades. Melt-spinning fine filament yarn directly from ground flakes without intermediate melt filtration or solid-state polycondensation increases spinning break frequencies, limiting direct flake extrusion to coarser staple fibres, strapping bands or industrial nonwovens.
