RESEARCH: Recycling plastic with printed ink.

13. November 2018 | Plastics | via Phys.org

Recycling plastic with printed ink (Credit: Phys.org)

According to an article on Phys.org this technology developed and patented by the UA Waste, Pyrolysis and Combustion Research Group, allows the removal of printed ink through a physical-chemical treatment and retrieves the plastic film clean, increasing the added value of the recycled product, plus pigments obtained can be used in other applications.

Currently, in most production processes in which there is printed ink on plastic films, the material is rejected for not complying with the final specifications required or simply because they come from the initial settings for the commissioning of the machinery. Many of these residues are not recoverable printed plastic due to its high content in ink and therefore it can not even be used to produce recycled plastic. The high content of ink significantly decreases the viscosity of the plastic and this is a problem at the time of reusing it through an extrusion process of the material.