French cleantech company Carbios has acquired an additional patent from the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) for its proprietary process of recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste.
The patent application (US 2017/114205) recognises Carbios for its invention of a method for recycling complex plastics, including coloured, opaque and multi-layer products containing a mix of PET and at least one additional component, including polyolefins, vinyl polymers, rubber, or polyamide fibres.
Carbios’ technology is claimed to address issues surrounding the recycling of multiple-polymer products, which are difficult to recycle using current thermo-mechanical processes.
“Traditional pretreatments, such as sorting, reach a limit as they are not capable of separating PET from the other components. Carbios’ technology overcomes these issues,” the French company said in a 20 June statement.
The technology, according to Carbios, offers “stable and reliable depolymerisation of PET regardless of the composition of mixed PET plastic products or the presence of other components or polymers.”
The ‘infinite recycling process’ recovers PET building blocks of PTA and MEG monomers from complex plastics and separates them for suitable use in any original application.
The recent patent is the company’s second in the US and protects Carbios’ innovation through 2033.
“This patent confirms Carbios’ unique expertise and leadership in developing an infinite recycling solution for all kinds of PET waste, particularly types which are barely treatable using traditional recycling processes,” said Carbios CEO Jean-Claude Lumaret.
Carbios acquires new PET recycling patent in US
Carbios