BE1029038A1 - PROCESS FOR PREPARING POLYLACTIC ACID FROM LACTIC ACID FROM THE RECYCLING OF ROLLERS SUPPORTING REELS OF WIRE OR FILM AND SUPPORT ROLLERS INTENDED FOR THIS PURPOSE - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for the preparation of PLA is described by oligomerization and polymerization of lactic acid consisting initially, in whole or in part, of lactic acid originating from rolls containing PLA and having been used as supports for reels of textile yarn and/or film, this PLA being recycled in the form of lactic acid. The use of these rolls thus obtained as a support for reels of textile thread or plastic film is also described.

Description

PROCESS FOR PREPARING POLYLACTIC ACID FROM LACTIC ACID FROM RECYCLING ROLLERS WIRE OR FILM SPOOL SUPPORTS AND SUPPORT ROLLERS FOR TO THIS END

DESCRIPTION FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a support OR otherwise called roller (leading) containing mainly polylactic acid (hereinafter PLA) on which is wound the textile thread or also a film of plastic material, rolls which are recycled in lactic acid In particular, the present invention relates to recyclable textile yarn or film supports, but also supports which contain remains of textile yarn or film resulting from snagging during winding or even due to a defective thread that cannot be transformed into a textile. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of these rollers recycled in lactic acid to prepare PLA again and to reuse it as a support roller for reels of textile yarn or plastic film. STATE OF THE ART The textile industry is the second most polluting industry. Faced with the environmental changes that our consumption patterns have caused, the textile industry is seeking to reduce its impact. To do this, it uses various solutions including the reduction of waste at the end of the life of our clothes but also during their production. The “Waste minimization in textile BE2021/5039 industry” report points the finger at solid waste which is, in terms of volume, the second source of waste in the textile industry during production. Among this solid waste, there are supports for textile yarn.

A carrier for yarn or film is a package carrying yarn or film through various post-spinning or post-extrusion and/or textile transformation processes. This support can be cylindrical or conical, depending on the use. The material making up this support is determined according to the treatments and processes through which the wire or the film will pass and even subsequent uses such as nesting or stacking the reels during storage.

For this purpose we can cite different types of materials which are used, such as cardboard, wood, metal or sufficiently rigid plastic materials such as PET (polyester), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PP (polypropylene ), PE (polyethylene). These types of materials each have drawbacks, in particular for their direct impact on the environment but also for their recycling.

Widely used in the textile industry thanks to their low cost and their resistance to finishing treatments, plastic supports will be a source of plastic pollution. Not all of them can be recycled or upcycled. As is the case for PET, the recycling process for which is difficult and expensive, and ABS is not to be taken into consideration either, given the presence of acrylonitrile.

In addition, some plastics are not going to be suitable for certain threads (slip problem) and certain treatments. However, these media can in some cases be reused, thus reducing the environmental impact associated with their production.

The cardboard support will not be suitable for a yarn that has to BE2021/5039 go through post-spinning treatment phases, but it is recyclable because it is made of cardboard. During storage, the cardboard support will tend to retain moisture, a parameter that can degrade the properties of a textile yarn. To overcome this phenomenon, varnishes and other coatings are applied to the paper supports, making their recycling more complicated. The wire will tend to break more easily when unwinding on a cardboard support because of the more irregular edge. The wooden support can also present disadvantages not only for the hooking of the wire, but especially its weight constitutes a major disadvantage. This type of support is practically no longer present in the textile industry because of these drawbacks and its higher cost than cardboard and plastic solutions.

The metallic support presents oxidation problems, which requires a treatment based on hexavalent chromium as well as the application of a layer of boron nitride. However, we know that hexavalent chromium is classified as a definite carcinogen for humans (IARC group 1) and is described by REACH as very toxic to aquatic life with effects that last over time. These compounds are listed in annex XVII of REACH. On the other hand, Boron Nitride is also regulated by REACH for its toxicity to human and aquatic life.

If we look at the treatment of these reel supports from the angle of their recycling rather than their direct environmental impact, it is clear that wooden or metal supports do not fall into the same category as those made of cardboard. or plastic. In fact, the cardboard goes back to the paper mill, but as far as the polymers are concerned, for which we have already set aside PET and ABS, only the polyolefins remain, for which we have either complete depolymerization in refinery or BE2021/5039 reuse in a mixture with either PE or PP or PMP but at a maximum of 5 to 15%, which is far from providing a solution.

There is therefore a triple need for these reel supports for film or textile fibers meeting both a low direct environmental impact and ease of recycling, but also having physical and mechanical properties that make it possible to comply with the standards in force in this field. domain.

PRINCIPLE OF THE INVENTION The subject of the invention is a support for spools of textile thread or of plastic film which is easily recyclable, with or without the product waste wound on the spool.

Another subject of the invention is a process for the preparation of PLA by oligomerization of lactic acid into lactide and polymerization of the latter by ring opening into PLA, this process initially using a charge of lactic acid originating entirely or part of the recycling of support rolls for reels of textile yarn or plastic film.

Yet another object of the invention is the implementation of a process for recycling these reel support rollers in a simple manner.

Another object of the invention is that the material which makes up the reel support roll itself has a low direct environmental impact.

Yet another object of the invention is a roll of coil obtained from a charge of lactic acid originating in whole or in part from rolls of recycled coils and the said rolls thus obtained meeting the physical and mechanical properties BE2021/5039 required in the field.

Another object of the invention is a reel support capable of withstanding the load of the product wound on the reel and the mechanical stresses linked to the processing of the yarns or films, without causing deformation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Polylactic acid ( PLA } is part of a new family of polymers that has emerged in the last 30 years: biopolymers. These are polymers produced from renewable materials. The best known is the PLA produced from lactic acid.The latter is itself obtained by fermentation of sugar or starch from wheat, corn, tapioca, etc. PLA has the advantage of being able to be reconverted by a simple hydrolysis process into its monomer bose lactic acid as described for example in US Pat. No. 8,431,683, which makes it a polymer perfectly suited to the principle of the circular economy.

The Applicant has now found, unexpectedly, that the objectives mentioned above could be satisfied by using a support for coils of wire or film made of PLA or of a polymer comprising at least 30% by weight and preferably at least 50% by weight of PLA just like the wire or the film that it transports, while providing in addition, a circular solution allowing a revaluation of the supports for textile wire in PLA or in plastic material containing at least 30%, and preferably at least 50% PLA.

Not only do the supports of the invention withstand the same operating conditions of the processes and treatments applied to the textile yarn or to the film and are more resistant to temperature. There is no longer any need to check whether the material of the support is not too slippery to wind the wire on it and whether it will resist the treatments that BE2021/5039 one wishes to apply to the wire or to the film.

The Applicant has also found that the PLA rolls of the invention have the physical and mechanical properties required to appropriately constitute the reel support.

Indeed it has been found that the properties of the PLA rolls of the invention are as follows therefore meet the standards required in the field, such as for example the ISO 8489 standards specifying the main dimensions for cones in the textile industry, ISO 368, ISO 3914, and ISO 11111 In addition, II absorbs little humidity and therefore will not degrade the fiber or the film unlike a cardboard cone.

Thanks to the differentiation systems for wire supports allowing the operator to identify those made of recyclable PLA, empty or almost empty wire supports are collected to be then, depending on their condition, either reused, or compacted, crushed and then upcycled. in lactic acid as described in US patent 8431683.

It is understood that this support can be composed of PLA mixed with other polyolefins, or additives giving it new properties provided that it is recyclable as described in particular in US patent 8431 683.

It is also understood that the product supported by this support can be fibers, filaments or films formed from polymers other than PLA, the latter remaining however the preference, because it saves the step of separation during recycling.

In the context of the use of the supports of the invention for spools of textile thread, it is known that to avoid any breakage and regularity during production, the thread support is not entirely unwound in order to avoid the first winding meters often more BE2021/5039 irregular, which would alter the thread tension. The end of the wire support is therefore attached to a solid wire support. Thread holders that are empty or with residual thread are therefore discarded with the remaining thread. Efficient recycling is therefore compromised by the mixing of materials. The present invention provides a solution to this problem. Since the backing for wire or film and the wire or film are made of PLA, both can be recycled together. The support with the residual yarn is ground, then the PLA is dissolved. Fibers, foreign components are filtered out. The PLA is depolymerized as described in US patent 8431683.

In the event that another plastic material would constitute the yarn OR the film, the recycling will necessarily include a stage of separation from the other polymers. It is also well known that several causes can render a support for yarn unusable in production. Deformation during transport, poor storage that has altered the properties of the textile yarn, poor winding, etc. The wire on the holder can therefore no longer be used.

In order to be able to recycle the wire and the empty wire support, the wire support must be unwound or the support sent to a company specializing in the recovery of wire from support. These operations are costly in terms of time and resources. These wire holders are therefore mostly thrown away. The present invention makes it possible to remedy this source of waste, by upgrading the wire support and the wire wound on it. The carriers for solid wires are collected and recycled as described in US patent 8431,683. The carriers with the residual wire are crushed, then the PLA is dissolved. Fibers, foreign components are filtered out. The PLA is depolymerized as described in the US patent

8431683. The lactic acid thus recovered can again be reused in the production of PLA, in particular intended to be BE2021/5039 applied as a support for reels of textile thread and plastic film.

The present invention is also described with reference to the examples below which constitute an illustration thereof but without however limiting the scope thereof.

EXAMPLES EXAMPLE 1 Rolls of supports for reels of textile yarn or of film of plastic material were collected, these supports consisting essentially of PLA. Some of these supports also contained remnants of PLA fibers. The supports are ground with the residual thread or film.

These rollers were thus transformed into PLA by a known recycling process, such as that described in US patent 8431683.

The lactic acid obtained after hydrolysis was recovered and polymerized into PLA according to a known method, such as those described in patents US 6166169, EP 1056741 or BE 1008099.

The PLA pellets were extruded into rolls intended to serve as supports for spools of textile yarn.

The PLA support obtained had the following properties which met the standards required to be used as a support for textile yarn, i.e. in accordance with ISO 8489 standards specifying the main dimensions for cones in the textile industry, ISO 368, ISO 3914 and ISO

11111.

EXAMPLE 2 The process of Example 1 was repeated, but collecting reel support rolls consisting of a mixture of PLA and other polyolefins.

In order to recycle these rolls, they were first ground and BE2021/5039 treated so as to separate the polyolefins from the PLA, the latter was then hydrolyzed according to the process described in US patent 8,431,683 to form lactic acid.

The PLA obtained from this lactic acid had the properties required to be used as support rolls for reels of textile yarn or plastic film.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS BE2021/5039 1. Process for the preparation of PLA by oligomerization of lactic acid and polymerization of the latter into PLA, characterized in that the starting charge of lactic acid comprises all or part of the lactic acid obtained by recycling rolls containing PLA, rolls from reels of textile yarn and/or film. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the rolls from the reels of wire or film contain from 30 to 100% by weight of PLA, whether recycled or not. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the rolls from the reels of wire or film contain at least 50% by weight of PLA, whether recycled or not. 4. Rollers for supporting reels of textile yarn or of plastic film, rollers obtained by oligomerization of lactic acid into lactide and polymerization of the latter by ring opening, characterized in that the starting lactic acid comprises in all or part of the lactic acid obtained according to the process described in claim 1. 5. Support for reels of textile thread or plastic film characterized in that it comprises from 30 to 100% by weight of PLA and preferably at least 50% by weight of PLA, obtained by injection or similar process, regardless of its shape . 6. Process for recycling PLA into lactic acid obtained by recycling coil rolls mentioned in any one of claims 1 to 4. 7. A process for recycling reels of bobbins as described in any one of the claims 1 to 4 including the separation of the materials constituting the BE2021/5039 roller and the recycling of the PLA 8. Use of PLA prepared from recycled lactic acid and originating from rolls of textile thread or film reels, to re-prepare PLA which can be used for all applications, including the preparation of support rolls for textile thread or film reels.