Patent Application
20250122363
The present disclosure relates to polymer composites and methods of making polymer composites.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A common problem found with composites that use large contents of fillers such as talc or glass fiber, is the density and weight increase that arises. Likewise, the inclusion of certain fillers can cause electrical conductivity variations that hinder their use in a variety of applications.
Automobile manufacturing is a prominent sector that continues to grow with passenger vehicle production. As a result of the increasing output of cars, disposal of waste within the manufacturing facilities is becoming a larger concern. The main source of waste in this sector is automotive paint sludge which makes up approximately 40% of the paint used during spraying operations. This material is commonly disposed of through landfilling or incineration. One way to reduce the economic disposal issues and find a secondary life for this waste stream material is to adapt it into a byproduct. This can be accomplished through pyrolytic processes to form char that can be incorporated into plastic composites for reinforcing and property enhancement.
Although present methods of producing char filled polymer composites have achieved their intended purposes, new methods of making char filled polymer composites are desired. Certain issues related to making char filled polymer composites are addressed in the present disclosure.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
In one form, the present disclosure provides a composite material having a polymer and a paint char material. The paint char material includes pyrolyzed paint sludge.
In variations of this composite material, which may be implemented individually or in any combination: the polymer is selected from the group comprising polypropylene, polyamide, poly (ethylene terephthalate), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and polycarbonate; the paint char material content is 5-30 wt %; the composite material has a tensile strength greater than or equal to 30 MPa; the composite material has an impact strength of greater than 20 J/m; the composite material has a density between 0.8 and 1.5 g/cc; and the composite material has a linear burning rate less than 10 mm/min.
The present disclosure further provides a composite material having a polymer and a hybrid paint char material. The hybrid paint char material includes a pyrolyzed mixture of paint sludge and lignin.
In variations of this composite material, which may be implemented individually or in any combination: the polymer is selected from the group comprising polypropylene, polyamide, poly (ethylene terephthalate), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and polycarbonate; the paint sludge is automotive paint waste; the composite material has a tensile strength greater than or equal to 30 MPa; the composite material has a density between 0.8 and 1.5 g/cc; and the composite material has a linear burning rate less than 10 mm/min.
In yet another form, the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a polymer composite material. The method includes drying a paint char material, mixing the paint char material with a polymer, and compounding the mixture of the paint char material and the polymer.
In variations of this composite material, which may be implemented individually or in any combination: the polymer is selected from the group comprising polypropylene, polyamide, poly (ethylene terephthalate), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and polycarbonate; the paint char material comprises a pyrolyzed paint sludge; the paint char material comprises a pyrolyzed mixture of paint sludge and lignin; the paint char material comprises a pyrolyzed automotive paint sludge; the composite material has a linear burning rate less than 10 mm/min; and the composite material is 5-30 wt % paint char.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
Referring to
The polymer 22 forms a matrix for the composite 20. In some forms the polymer 22 is polypropylene, polyamide, poly (ethylene terephthalate), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, or a combination of materials. However, other polymers may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.
The paint char material 24 is a recycled material manufactured from paint sludge. It acts as a filler in place of conventional fillers such as talc. In some forms, the paint char material is 5-30% by weight of the composite. In some forms, the paint char material is a powder.
In some forms, the paint char material 24 is pyrolyzed paint sludge, which may be automotive paint sludge. As used herein, paint sludge is a waste paint byproduct of painting. Paint sludge is a complex mixture of uncured polymer resins, binders, solvents, pigments, additives, and water. During the pyrolysis process, the organic substances in the paint sludge are at least partially thermochemically converted into solid carbon in an oxygen-limited environment.
In other forms, the paint char material may be a hybrid material. The hybrid material is a pyrolyzed mixture of paint sludge and lignin.
With reference to
Example 1A. Composite was prepared containing 70 wt. % PP and 30 wt. % hybrid paint char. The hybrid char was prepared by pyrolyzing at 1000° C. followed by 60 h ball-milling. The blend was extruded in a DSM Micro 15 cc twin screw compounder, with a 190° C. extrusion temperature, a 100 RPM screw speed, and a 2-minute retention time. The material was molded using a DSM micro 12 cc mini-injection molder. Both injection and holding time was set to 7 seconds.
Example 1B. Composite was prepared containing 60 wt. % PP (1120H), 30 wt. % hybrid paint char, 50 wt. %, 7 wt. % POE-g-MA, and 3 wt. % maleic anhydride grafted. The hybrid paint char was prepared by pyrolyzing at 500° C. followed by 1 h ball-milling. The blend was extruded in a DSM Micro 15 cc twin screw compounder, with a 200° C. extrusion temperature, a 100 RPM screw speed, and a 2-minute retention time. The material was molded using a DSM micro 12 cc mini-injection molder. Both injection and holding time was set to 7 seconds.
Example 2A. Composite was prepared containing 30 wt. % hybrid paint char with 70 wt. % consisting of 85 wt. % PET (Laser+B90A): recycled PET (LNO P) (50:50 wt. %), 15 wt. % POE-g-MA (Fusabond N493) and 1 phr Joncryl (ADR 4468). The hybrid paint char was prepared by pyrolyzing at 500° C. followed by 1 h ball-milling. The blend was extruded in a DSM Micro 15 cc twin screw compounder at 270° C., a 100 RPM screw speed, and a 2-minute retention time. The material was molded using a DSM micro 12 cc mini-injection molder. Both injection and holding time was set to 10 seconds.
Example 3A. Composite was prepared containing 7 wt. % paint char and remaining 93 wt. % consists of 62 wt. % recycled PC, 32 wt. % poly (lactic acid), 6 wt. % poly (ethylene n-butylene-acrylate glycidyl methacrylate) and 0.3 phr Joncryl (ADR 4468). The paint char was prepared by pyrolyzing at 500° C. followed by 1 h ball-milling. The blend was extruded in a DSM Micro 15 cc twin screw compounder, with a 270° C. extrusion temperature, a 100 RPM screw speed, and a 2-minute retention time. The material was molded using a DSM micro 12 cc mini-injection molder. Both injection and holding time was set to 7 seconds.
Example 3B. Composite was prepared containing 7 wt. % hybrid paint char and remaining 93 wt. % consists of 62 wt. % recycled PC, 32 wt. % poly (lactic acid), 6 wt. % EBAGMA, and 0.3 phr Joncryl (ADR 4468). The hybrid paint char was prepared by pyrolyzing at 500° C. followed by 1 h ball-milling. The blend was extruded in a DSM Micro 15 cc twin screw compounder, with a 270° C. extrusion temperature, a 100 RPM screw speed, and a 2-minute retention time. The material was molded using a DSM micro 12 cc mini-injection molder. Both injection and holding time was set to 7 seconds.
Example 4A. Composite was prepared containing 27 wt. % hybrid paint char, 3 wt. % recycled carbon fibers and remaining 70 wt. % consists of 61 wt. % recycled PC (OPTICARB 1614): ABS (Magnum 1150 EM) (50:50 wt. %), 30 wt. % PLA (3251 D), 6 wt. % EBAGMA (Elvaloy PTW), 3 wt. % lubricant (Plastistrength L1000) and 0.3 phr Joncryl (ADR 4368). The hybrid paint char was prepared by pyrolyzing at 500° C. followed by 1 h ball-milling. The blend was extruded in a DSM Micro 15 cc twin screw compounder, with a 270° C. extrusion temperature, a 100 RPM screw speed, and a 2-minute retention time. The material was molded using a DSM micro 12 cc mini-injection molder. Both injection and holding time was set to 7 seconds.
Specimens of the described Examples 1A-4A were tested for a variety of properties, with the results shown in Table 2. All tests used ASTM standard test specimens (tensile dog-bone type IV samples according to ASTM D638, flexural bars according to ASTM D790, notched Izod impact bars according to ASTM D256, and heat deflection temperature bars according to ASTM D648). All composites containing APS char, or its hybrid variant demonstrated mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties consistent for a mineral filled composite at the loading level described herein.
The flammability characteristics (following ASTM D635) of the composite specimens are shown in Table 2. The incorporation of the APS char or its hybrid variant provided increased flammability resistance compared to a talc alternative. The linear burning rate was reduced by up to 72% for the APS char containing sample relative to the talc composite.
In
Unless otherwise expressly indicated herein, all numerical values indicating mechanical/thermal properties, compositional percentages, dimensions and/or tolerances, or other characteristics are to be understood as modified by the word “about” or “approximately” in describing the scope of the present disclosure. This modification is desired for various reasons including industrial practice, material, manufacturing, and assembly tolerances, and testing capability.
As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”
The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
