JP6682182B2 - Composite container, composite preform, method for separating and collecting composite container, and system for separating and collecting composite container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a composite container, a composite preform, a method for separating and collecting the composite container, and a system for separating and collecting the composite container.

  Recently, plastic bottles for storing content liquids such as food and drink have become popular, and such plastic bottles store the content liquid.

  A plastic bottle containing such a content liquid is manufactured by inserting a preform into a mold and performing biaxial stretch blow molding.

  By the way, in the conventional biaxial stretch blow molding method, for example, a preform containing a single layer material such as PET or PP, a multilayer material, a blend material, or the like is used to mold the container into a container shape. However, in the conventional biaxial stretch blow molding method, it is common to simply mold the preform into a container shape. For this reason, when giving various functions and characteristics (barrier property, heat insulation property, etc.) to the container, the means for changing the material of the preform is limited, for example.

JP, 2009-241526, A

  Further, conventionally, it has been required that the plastic bottle is colorless and transparent because it is necessary to facilitate recycling of the plastic bottle. Further, it is required that the label provided around the plastic bottle can be easily peeled off when the plastic bottle is discarded.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is capable of imparting various functions and characteristics to a container and capable of easily removing a plastic member at the time of disposal, a composite container, a composite container An object of the present invention is to provide a preform, a method for separating and collecting a composite container, and a system for separating and collecting a composite container.

  The present invention provides, in a composite container, a container body made of a first plastic material, and a plastic member made of a second plastic material which is provided in close contact with the outside of the container body and has heat shrinkability, The container body and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding, and the specific gravity of the first plastic material and the specific gravity of the second plastic material are different from each other. Is.

  The present invention provides, in a composite preform, a preform made of a first plastic material, and a plastic member made of a second plastic material which is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform and has heat shrinkability. The composite member is characterized in that the plastic member is adhered to the outside of the preform, and the specific gravity of the first plastic material and the specific gravity of the second plastic material are different from each other. is there.

  The present invention includes a preparatory step of preparing the composite container, and a pulverizing step of crushing the composite container to form a plurality of flakes each including a small-piece-shaped container body and a small-piece-shaped plastic member. And a hot water separation step of separating each of the flakes into the flaky container body and the flaky plastic member by immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water. It is a method for separating and collecting the composite container.

  The present invention further comprises a specific gravity separation step of separating the small-piece-shaped container body and the small-piece-shaped plastic member by separating them according to the difference in their specific gravities, and separately collecting them. This is a method of separating and collecting containers.

  The present invention is characterized in that an inner label member is provided between the container body and the plastic member, and the container body, the inner label member and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding. It is a method for separating and collecting the composite container.

  The present invention is provided on a downstream side of the crushing device, which is formed by crushing the composite container to form a plurality of flakes each including a small-piece-shaped container body and a small-piece-shaped plastic member. And a hot water separator for separating each of the flakes into the small-piece-shaped container body and the small-piece-shaped plastic member by immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water. It is a system for separating and collecting composite containers.

  The present invention is provided on the downstream side of the hot water separator, and separates the small-piece-shaped container body and the small-piece-shaped plastic member separately by the difference in their specific gravities. A separation / collection system for a composite container, comprising: a separation device.

  According to the present invention, when a composite container including a container body and a plastic member is discarded, the plastic member can be easily removed from the container body.

FIG. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a composite container according to the present embodiment. 2A to 2F are schematic views showing a method of manufacturing a composite container, which is used to manufacture the composite container according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a separation / collection system for a composite container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the separation / collection system for a composite container. FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a modified example of the composite container.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention.

Structure of Composite Container First, an outline of a composite container separated and collected by the method for separating and collecting a composite container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in this specification, "upper" and "lower" mean the upper side and the lower side in the state (FIG. 1) in which the composite container 10A is upright, respectively.

  As will be described later, the composite container 10A shown in FIG. 1 is biaxially stretched using a blow molding die 50 with respect to a composite preform 70 including the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a (see FIG. 2B). It is obtained by expanding the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a as a unit by performing blow molding.

  Such a composite container 10A includes a container body 10 made of a first plastic material, which is located inside, and a plastic member 40 made of a second plastic material, which is provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10. I have it. The composite container 10A is separable using the separation / collection method of the composite container described below.

  Among these, the container body 10 includes a mouth portion 11, a neck portion 13 provided below the mouth portion 11, a shoulder portion 12 provided below the neck portion 13, a body portion 20 provided below the shoulder portion 12, and a body portion And a bottom portion 30 provided below the portion 20.

  On the other hand, the plastic member 40 is closely attached to the outer surface of the container main body 10 in a state of being thinly extended, and is attached to the container main body 10 without being easily moved or rotated.

  Next, the container body 10 will be described in detail. As described above, the container body 10 has the mouth portion 11, the neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30.

  Of these, the mouth portion 11 has a screw portion 14 screwed to a cap (not shown) and a flange portion 17 provided below the screw portion 14. The shape of the mouth portion 11 may be a conventionally known shape.

  The neck portion 13 is located between the flange portion 17 and the shoulder portion 12, and has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially uniform diameter. The shoulder portion 12 is located between the neck portion 13 and the body portion 20, and has a shape in which the diameter gradually increases from the neck portion 13 side toward the body portion 20 side.

  Further, the body portion 20 has a cylindrical shape having a substantially uniform diameter as a whole. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the body portion 20 may have a polygonal tubular shape such as a quadrangular tubular shape or an octagonal tubular shape. Alternatively, the body portion 20 may have a tubular shape having a horizontal cross section that is not uniform from the upper side to the lower side. Further, in the present embodiment, the body portion 20 has no unevenness and has a substantially flat surface, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, unevenness such as a panel or a groove may be formed on the body portion 20.

  On the other hand, the bottom portion 30 has a concave portion 31 located at the center and a ground portion 32 provided around the concave portion 31. The shape of the bottom 30 is not particularly limited, and may have a conventionally known bottom shape (for example, a petaloid bottom shape or a round bottom shape).

  The thickness of the container body 10 in the body portion 20 is not limited to this, but can be reduced to, for example, about 50 μm to 250 μm. Furthermore, the weight of the container body 10 is not limited to this, but can be 10 g to 20 g. By reducing the thickness of the container body 10 in this way, the weight of the container body 10 can be reduced.

  Such a container body 10 can be manufactured by biaxially stretch blow molding a preform 10a (described later) manufactured by injection molding a synthetic resin material. The preform 10a, that is, the material of the container body 10 (first plastic material) is a thermoplastic resin, particularly PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), PC ( It is preferable to use those containing (polycarbonate). The container body 10 may be colored in colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, and white, but in consideration of ease of recycling, a colorless and transparent polyethylene terephthalate material is used. preferable. Further, a vapor-deposited film such as a diamond-like carbon film or a silicon oxide thin film may be formed on the inner surface of the container body 10 in order to enhance the barrier properties of the container.

  Further, the container body 10 can be formed as a multilayer molded bottle having two or more layers. That is, by extrusion molding or injection molding, for example, the intermediate layer is provided with a gas barrier property and a light-shielding property such as MXD6, MXD6 + fatty acid salt, PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer) or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate). A preform 10a having three or more layers as a resin (intermediate layer) may be extrusion-molded and then blow-molded to form a multi-layer bottle having a gas barrier property and a light-shielding property. A resin obtained by blending the above-mentioned various resins may be used as the intermediate layer.

  Further, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foamed preform having a foamed cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm is molded, and this foamed preform is blow molded. By doing so, the container body 10 may be manufactured. Since such a container body 10 has a built-in foam cell, the light shielding property of the entire container body 10 can be enhanced.

  Such a container body 10 may be composed of, for example, a bottle having a full volume of 100 ml to 2000 ml. Alternatively, the container body 10 may be a large bottle having a full volume of 10 L to 60 L, for example.

  Next, the plastic member 40 will be described. The plastic member 40 (40a) is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform 10a as described later, and is obtained by being closely adhered to the outside of the preform 10a and then biaxially stretch blow-molded together with the preform 10a. It is a thing.

  The plastic member 40 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being welded or adhered, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so as not to move or rotate. The plastic member 40 is thinly stretched on the outer surface of the container body 10 to cover the container body 10. Further, the plastic member 40 is provided over the entire area in the circumferential direction so as to surround the container body 10, and has a substantially circular horizontal cross section.

  In this case, the plastic member 40 is provided so as to cover the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10, excluding the mouth portion 11 and the neck portion 13. As a result, desired functions and characteristics can be imparted to the shoulder 12, body 20, and bottom 30 of the container body 10.

  Note that the plastic member 40 may be provided in the entire or a part of the container body 10 other than the mouth 11. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided so as to cover the neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 except the mouth portion 11. Further, the number of plastic members 40 is not limited to one, and a plurality of plastic members 40 may be provided. For example, two plastic members 40 may be provided on the outer surface of the shoulder 12 and the outer surface of the bottom 30, respectively.

  On the other hand, it is preferable that the material of the plastic member 40 (second plastic material) has a heat shrinkability, and in particular, the heat shrink temperature is lower than that of the material of the container body 10 (first plastic material). Specifically, the material of the plastic member 40 (second plastic material) is, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly-4-methylpentene-1, polystyrene, AS resin, ABS resin. , Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl butyral, diallyl phthalate resin, fluorine resin, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylic acid, polymethyl acrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylamide , Polybutadiene, polybutene-1, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, ethylene propylene rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, acrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, nylon 6, nylon 6 6, Nylon MXD6, aromatic polyamide, polycarbonate, polyterephthalate ethylene, polyterephthalate butylene, polynaphthalene ethylene, U polymer, liquid crystal polymer, modified polyphenylene ether, polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, unsaturated polyester, alkyd Examples thereof include resins, polyimides, polysulfones, polyphenylene sulfides, polyether sulfones, silicone resins, polyurethanes, phenol resins, urea resins, polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides, polyacetals and epoxy resins. Of these, it is preferable to use thermoplastic non-elastic resins such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Further, a blend material, a multilayer structure, or a partial multilayer structure thereof may be used. Further, various additives other than the resin as the main component may be added to the material of the plastic member 40 as long as the characteristics are not impaired. Examples of additives include a plasticizer, an ultraviolet stabilizer, a coloring inhibitor, a matting agent, a deodorant, a flame retardant, a weathering agent, an antistatic agent, a yarn friction reducing agent, a slip agent, a release agent, An oxidizing agent, an ion exchange agent, a coloring pigment, and the like can be added. Further, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foamed member having a foamed cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm is used, and this foamed preform is molded. It is possible to enhance the light blocking effect.

  In the present embodiment, the specific gravity of the material of the container body 10 (first plastic material) and the specific gravity of the material of the plastic member 40 (second plastic material) are different from each other. For example, when the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 are made of a single material, their specific gravities are different from each other. Even when the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 are made of blended materials, the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 have different specific gravities. Since the specific gravity of the material of the container body 10 and the specific gravity of the material of the plastic member 40 are different from each other, the flakes 90 are divided into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p, as described later. It becomes easy to separate and collect.

  Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material having a gas barrier property such as an oxygen barrier property or a water vapor barrier property. In this case, it is possible to enhance the gas barrier property of the composite container 10A and prevent the content liquid from being deteriorated by oxygen or water vapor without using a multi-layered container or a container containing a blended material as the container body 10. For example, in the container body 10, a plastic member 40 may be provided over the shoulder 12, neck 13, body 20, and bottom 30 to enhance the gas barrier properties of this portion. Examples of such materials include PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), MXD-6 (nylon), PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer), or oxygen such as fatty acid salt in these materials. It is also possible to mix an absorbent material.

  Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material having a barrier property against light rays such as ultraviolet rays. In this case, without using a multi-layered container or a container containing a blended material as the container body 10, it is possible to enhance the light barrier property of the composite container 10A and prevent the content liquid from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays or the like. For example, in the container body 10, a plastic member 40 may be provided in the entire area of the shoulder portion 12, neck portion 13, body portion 20 and bottom portion 30 to enhance the ultraviolet barrier property of this portion. As such a material, a blended material or a material obtained by adding a light-shielding resin to PET, PE, or PP can be considered. Further, a foaming member having a foaming cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of a thermoplastic resin, may be used.

  Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material having a higher heat retention property or a lower heat retention property (a material having a lower thermal conductivity) than the plastic material forming the container body 10 (preform 10a). In this case, it is possible to make it difficult for the temperature of the content liquid to be transmitted to the surface of the composite container 10A without increasing the thickness of the container body 10 itself. Thereby, the heat retaining property or the cold retaining property of the composite container 10A is enhanced. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on all or part of the body portion 20 of the container body 10 to enhance the heat retaining property or the cold retaining property of the body portion 20. Further, when the user holds the composite container 10A, it is prevented that the composite container 10A becomes difficult to hold due to being too hot or too cold. As such a material, foamed polyurethane, polystyrene, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), phenol resin, polyvinyl chloride, urea resin, silicone, polyimide, melamine resin and the like can be considered. Further, a foaming member having a foaming cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of a thermoplastic resin, may be used.

  Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material that is less slippery than the plastic material forming the container body 10 (preform 10a). In this case, the user can easily grip the composite container 10A without changing the material of the container body 10. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on all or part of the body 20 of the container body 10 to facilitate holding the body 20.

  Further, the plastic member 40 may be designed or printed by printing. In this case, it is possible to display an image or a character on the composite container 10A without adding a label or the like to the container body 10 after the blow molding. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided on all or part of the body 20 of the container body 10 to display images and characters on the plastic member 40 corresponding to the body 20.

  Such a plastic member 40 does not have a contracting action on the preform 10a. That is, the plastic member (outer shrink member) 40 is provided on the outside of the preform 10a, integrally heated with the preform 10a to shrink, and then obtained by biaxial stretch blow molding. It is a thing.

  The thickness of the plastic member 40 is not limited to this, but may be, for example, about 5 μm to 500 μm in the state of being attached to the container body 10.

  Next, a manufacturing method (blow molding method) of the composite container 10A shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the preform 10a made of the first plastic material is prepared (see FIG. 2A). In this case, the preform 10a may be manufactured by an injection molding method using, for example, an injection molding machine (not shown). Further, as the preform 10a, a preform generally used conventionally may be used.

  The preform 10a includes a mouth portion 11a, a body portion 20a connected to the mouth portion 11a, and a bottom portion 30a connected to the body portion 20a. The mouth 11 a corresponds to the mouth 11 of the container body 10 described above, and has substantially the same shape as the mouth 11. The body portion 20a corresponds to the neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12 and the body portion 20 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The bottom 30a corresponds to the bottom 30 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially hemispherical shape.

  Next, by providing a plastic member 40a made of a second plastic material having heat shrinkability on the outside of the preform 10a, the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a adhered to the outside of the preform 10a are provided. A composite preform 70 having is prepared (see FIG. 2B). In this case, the plastic member 40a has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and has a cylindrical body 41 and a bottom 42 connected to the body 41. In the present embodiment, a composite preform 70 used when molding such a composite container 10A is also provided.

  At this time, a plastic member 40a having an inner diameter that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the preform 10a may be pushed into the preform 10a so as to be brought into close contact with the outer surface of the preform 10a.

  Alternatively, a heat-shrinkable plastic member (outer shrink member) 40a is provided on the outer surface of the preform 10a, and the plastic member 40a is heated to 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. to heat-shrink the outer surface of the preform 10a. May be closely attached to.

  As described above, the plastic member 40a is closely adhered to the outside of the preform 10a in advance and the composite preform 70 is manufactured, whereby a series of steps for manufacturing the composite preform 70 (FIGS. 2A to 2B). )) And a series of steps (FIGS. 2 (c) to 2 (f)) for producing the composite container 10A by blow molding can be performed at different places (factory or the like).

  Next, the composite preform 70 is heated by the heating device 51 (see FIG. 2C). At this time, the composite preform 70 is uniformly heated in the circumferential direction by the heating device 51 while rotating with the mouth 11a facing downward. The heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a in this heating step may be, for example, 90 ° C. to 130 ° C.

  Subsequently, the composite preform 70 heated by the heating device 51 is sent to the blow molding die 50 (see FIG. 2D).

  The composite container 10A is molded using this blow molding die 50. In this case, the blow molding die 50 is composed of a pair of body portion dies 50a and 50b and a bottom die 50c which are divided from each other (see FIG. 2D). In FIG. 2D, the pair of body dies 50a and 50b are open from each other, and the bottom die 50c is raised upward. In this state, the composite preform 70 is inserted between the pair of body molds 50a and 50b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2E, after the bottom die 50c is lowered, the pair of body dies 50a and 50b are closed and sealed by the pair of body dies 50a and 50b and the bottom die 50c. The blow molding die 50 is formed. Next, air is press-fitted into the preform 10a, and the composite preform 70 is biaxially stretch blow molded.

  As a result, the container body 10 is obtained from the preform 10a in the blow molding die 50. During this time, the body dies 50a and 50b are heated to 30 ° C to 80 ° C, and the bottom die 50c is cooled to 5 ° C to 25 ° C. At this time, the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a are integrally expanded in the blow molding die 50. As a result, the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a are integrally formed into a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the blow molding die 50.

  Thus, the composite container 10A including the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 provided on the outer surface of the container body 10 is obtained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2F, the pair of body dies 50a, 50b and the bottom die 50c are separated from each other, and the composite container 10A is taken out from the blow molding die 50.

  Subsequently, the composite container 10A is filled with contents such as a beverage, and a cap (not shown) is attached to the mouth portion 11 of the composite container 10A.

  After that, the consumer removes the cap from the mouth portion 11 of the composite container 10A, and the contents such as the beverage are consumed. After that, the composite container 10A is discarded and separated and collected by using the separation / collection system 80 of the composite container as described below.

Separation and Recovery System for Composite Container Next, an outline of the separation and recovery system for a composite container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the separation / collection system 80 for a composite container is provided with a pulverizer 81, a hot water separator 82, and a specific gravity separator 83 in order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

  Of these, the crushing device 81 forms a plurality of flakes 90 by crushing the discarded composite container 10A. Each flake 90 includes a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p. In this case, the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p is in close contact with the small piece-shaped container body 10p.

  The crushing device 81 finely crushes the composite container 10A, and crushes the composite container 10A into flakes 90 having a side length of about 5 mm to 20 mm by, for example, rotating teeth. The small piece-shaped container body 10p is obtained by finely crushing the container body 10 and is made of the first plastic material. The small piece-shaped plastic member 40p is obtained by finely crushing the plastic member 40 and is made of the second plastic material.

  The hot water separator 82 is provided on the downstream side of the crusher 81 and has a liquid tank 82a containing hot water. This hot water separating device 82 immerses the plurality of flakes 90 crushed by the crushing device 81 in the hot water in the liquid tank 82a, so that each flake 90 is separated into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece of plastic. It is separated into a manufacturing member 40p. For example, in the hot water separator 82, the flakes 90 are stirred in hot water of, for example, 80 ° C. to 90 ° C. for a certain period of time to separate the flaky container body 10p from the flaky plastic member 40p. Separated from each other.

  The specific gravity separator 83 is provided on the downstream side of the hot water separator 82, and has a liquid tank 83a containing a liquid such as water at room temperature. The specific gravity separating device 83 separates the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p, which are separated from each other, into water or the like in the liquid tank 83a, and separates them by their specific gravities. And collect them separately. For example, when the material of the container body 10 (first plastic material) is polyethylene terephthalate and the material of the plastic member 40 (second plastic material) is polypropylene, a small-sized container having a specific gravity of more than 1. Since the main body 10p is submerged in water and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p having a specific gravity of less than 1 floats in water, these can be collected separately.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the separation / collection system 80 for a composite container has one or more of a foreign matter removal device 84, a wind separation device 85, and an alkali separation device 86 in addition to the above devices. You can do it.

  Of these, the foreign matter removing device 84 is for throwing in the composite container 10A before crushing and sorting and removing foreign matter such as paper pieces, metal pieces, and plastic pieces other than the composite container 10A.

  The wind separation device 85 is provided at least on the downstream side of the crushing device 81, and separates the flakes 90 into the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p by the wind force. .

  Further, the alkali separation device 86 is provided at least on the downstream side of the crushing device 81, and has a liquid tank (not shown) containing a hot alkali liquid. This alkali separating device 86 separates each flake 90 into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p by immersing a plurality of flakes 90 in a hot alkaline liquid in a liquid tank. It is a thing.

  By thus providing the air separation device 85 and the alkali separation device 86, the flakes 90 are more reliably separated into the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p.

Method for Separation and Recovery of Composite Container Next, a method for separation and recovery of a composite container using the separation and recovery system 80 for a composite container shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

  First, the used composite container 10A to be discarded is prepared (preparation step).

  Next, the crushing device 81 crushes the composite container 10A. As a result, the composite container 10A is crushed into a plurality of flakes 90 each including the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p (crushing step). The length of one side of each flake 90 is, for example, about 5 mm to 20 mm. At this time, in many flakes 90, the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p are in close contact with each other.

  Then, the plurality of flakes 90 are sent to the hot water separator 82. In this hot water separator 82, a plurality of flakes 90 are immersed in hot water in a liquid tank 82a to separate the flakes 90 into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p. Yes (hot water separation step). In the hot water separator 82, the flakes 90 are stirred in hot water at 80 ° C. to 90 ° C. for a certain period of time. At this time, the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p is abruptly thermally contracted and curled, so that the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p is peeled off.

  Next, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p are sent to the specific gravity separation device 83. In this specific gravity separation device 83, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p are immersed in water or the like in the liquid tank 83a, and separated and recovered separately due to the difference in their specific gravities. (Specific gravity separation step).

  After that, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p is used as a raw material for products such as clothes and carpet after being made into particles having a smaller diameter through a melting process and the like.

  In the above-described hot water separator 82, the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p are separated and recovered in hot water in the liquid tank 82a due to the difference in their specific gravities. You may. In this case, the specific gravity separation device 83 (specific gravity separation step) may not be separately provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, after the preparation step, the foreign matter removing device 84 may be used to selectively remove foreign matter such as paper pieces, metal pieces, and plastic pieces other than the used composite container 10A. Further, at least after the crushing step, a wind selection separation step of separating the flakes 90 into the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p by wind force may be provided. Further, at least after the crushing step, an alkali separation step of separating the flakes 90 into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p by immersing the flakes 90 in a hot alkaline liquid may be provided. . In the present embodiment, the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 are not adhered to each other, so that the composite container 10A has no adhesive residue. Therefore, when only the composite container 10A according to the present embodiment is separated and collected using the separation and collection system 80, the alkali separation step need not be provided.

  As described above, the plastic member 40 has the heat shrinkability, and the specific gravity of the first plastic material and the specific gravity of the second plastic material are different from each other. Thereby, when discarding the composite container 10A, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p can be easily separated. Further, since the plastic member 40 is expanded by blow molding, it has high stretchability and is more easily contracted. Therefore, it is easy to remove the plastic member 40p in the hot water separation step.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of flakes 90 are formed by crushing the composite container 10A (milling step), and the plurality of flakes 90 are immersed in hot water to form each flakes 90 into a small piece. The container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p are separated (hot water separation step). Then, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p are separated and collected separately due to the difference in their specific gravities (specific gravity separation step). Thereby, when discarding the composite container 10A, the plastic member 40 can be easily removed from the container body 10. Further, it is not necessary for the consumer to perform the work of removing the plastic member 40 from the container body 10 by using, for example, a blade.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the preform 10a (container body 10) and the plastic member 40a (plastic member 40) can be configured as separate members, the type and shape of the plastic member 40 can be changed. By appropriately selecting, various functions and characteristics can be freely given to the composite container 10A.

Example Next, a specific example of the present embodiment will be described.

  By the method shown in FIGS. 2A to 2F, a composite container 10A having the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10 was produced. In this case, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) was used as the material of the container body 10, and PP (polypropylene) was used as the material of the plastic member 40.

  Next, the composite container 10A was cut into a plurality of flakes 90 into 8 mm square. The plurality of flakes 90 was continuously stirred in hot water at 85 ° C for 15 minutes. Then, this was left still for 5 minutes, and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p floating in hot water was removed. The sunken flakes 90 were dried, the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the remaining small piece-shaped plastic member 40p were separated, and the respective weights were measured. As a result, it was confirmed that the ratio of the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p was 20 ppm or less, and thus it was confirmed that the recyclability was excellent.

Modified Example of Composite Container Next, a modified example of the composite container will be described.

  In the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the composite container 10A including the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 is used has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 5, the composite container 10A may be provided with the inner label member 60 between the container body 10 and the plastic member 40.

  Such a composite container 10A includes a container body 10 made of a first plastic material located inside, an inner label member 60 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10, and an outside of the inner label member 60. And a plastic member 40 made of a second plastic material having heat shrinkability.

  Of these, the inner label member 60 is in close contact with the outer surface of the container body 10 in a thinly extended state, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so as not to easily move or rotate.

  Further, the plastic member 40 is adhered to the outer surface of the container body 10 and the outer surface of the inner label member 60 in a thinly extended state, and is adhered to the container body 10 so as not to easily move or rotate. There is.

  It is conceivable that at least a part of the plastic member 40 is translucent or transparent, and in this case, the inner label member 60 is visible from the outside through the translucent or transparent part. The entire plastic member 40 may be semitransparent or transparent, or may have an opaque portion and a semitransparent or transparent portion (for example, a window portion).

  Next, the inner label member 60 will be described. The inner label member 60 is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform 10a, and is obtained by being biaxially stretch blow molded integrally with the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a.

  The inner label member 60 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being adhered, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so as not to move or rotate. The inner label member 60 is thinly stretched on the outer surface of the container body 10 to cover the container body 10. The inner label member 60 is provided over the entire area in the circumferential direction so as to surround the container body 10, and has a substantially circular horizontal cross section.

  In this case, the inner label member 60 is provided so as to cover the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 excluding the mouth portion 11 and the neck portion 13. As a result, desired characters, images, and the like can be added to the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 so that the composite container 10A can be decorated or information can be displayed.

  The inner label member 60 may be provided in the entire container body 10 except for the mouth portion 11 or in a partial area thereof. For example, the inner label member 60 may be provided so as to cover the neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 except the mouth portion 11. Furthermore, the number of the inner label member 60 is not limited to one, and a plurality of inner label members 60 may be provided. The inner label member 60 may be provided in the same region as the plastic member 40, or may be provided in a region narrower than the plastic member 40. In the latter case, the inner label member 60 is preferably completely covered by the plastic member 40.

  As such an inner label member 60, a film of polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyaramid resin, polypropylene resin, polycarbonate resin, polyacetal resin, fluorine resin or the like can be used. The inner label member 60 may be made of the same material as the plastic member 40 (second plastic material) or may be made of a different material. Further, the inner label member 60 preferably has heat shrinkability and a specific gravity different from that of the material (first plastic material) of the container body 10 in order to facilitate peeling from the container body 10 at the time of disposal.

  The thickness of the inner label member 60 is not limited to this, but may be, for example, about 1 μm to 100 μm in the state of being attached to the container body 10.

  In addition, the configurations of the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 are substantially the same as those described above, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here. The manufacturing method (blow molding method) of the composite container 10A shown in FIG. 5 is substantially the same as the method shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (f).

  Also in the present embodiment, in the same manner as described above, a plurality of flakes 90 are formed by crushing the composite container 10A (grinding step), and the flakes 90 are immersed in hot water to remove each flake 90 into small pieces. -Shaped container body 10p, a small piece-shaped inner label member (not shown), and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p are separated (hot water separation step). Then, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p, the small-piece-shaped inner label member, and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p can be separated and recovered separately due to the difference in their specific gravities (specific gravity separation). Process). Thereby, when discarding the composite container 10A, the plastic member 40 and the inner label member 60 can be easily removed from the container body 10. The small piece-shaped inner label member and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p may be removed from the small piece-shaped container body 10p in a state in which they are in close contact with each other.

10 Container body 10A Composite container 10a Preform 10p Small piece container body 40 Plastic member 40a Plastic member 40p Small piece plastic member 70 Composite preform 80 Separation and collection system 81 Grinding device 82 Hot water separation device 83 Specific gravity Separation device 84 Foreign matter removal device 85 Air separation device 86 Alkali separation device 90 Flakes

Claims (3)

In the method of separating and collecting composite containers,
The composite container is
A container body made of a polyethylene terephthalate first plastic material, or a container body made of a multi-layer bottle containing the polyethylene terephthalate first plastic material;
A plastic member made of a second plastic material, which is heat-shrinkable and is provided so as to be peelably attached to the outside of the body and the outside of at least a part of the bottom of the container body excluding the mouth. Equipped with
The container body and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding,
The specific gravity of the first plastic material and the specific gravity of the second plastic material are different from each other,
The second plastic material contains a resin as a main component and a coloring pigment as an additive, and has a specific gravity of 80 to 90 ° C. for hot water of less than 1.
The plastic member is further printed,
The method for separating and collecting the composite container is
A preparation step of preparing the composite container,
By crushing the composite container, a crushing step of forming a plurality of flakes each including a small-piece-shaped container body and a small-piece-shaped plastic member,
By immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water, the flakes are separated into the small-piece-shaped container body and the small-piece-shaped plastic member, respectively, and in the hot water, the small- sized flakes are formed. A method for separating and recovering a composite container, comprising a hot water separation step of separating the container body and the small piece-shaped plastic member by the difference in their specific gravities and recovering them separately. An inner label member is provided between the container body and the plastic member, and the container body, the inner label member and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding. 1. The method for separating and collecting the composite container according to 1 . In the separation and collection system of composite containers,
The composite container is
A container body made of a polyethylene terephthalate first plastic material, or a container body made of a multi-layer bottle containing the polyethylene terephthalate first plastic material;
A plastic member made of a second plastic material, which is heat-shrinkable and is provided so as to be peelably attached to the outside of the body and the outside of at least a part of the bottom of the container body excluding the mouth. Equipped with
The container body and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding,
The specific gravity of the first plastic material and the specific gravity of the second plastic material are different from each other,
The second plastic material contains a resin as a main component and a coloring pigment as an additive, and has a specific gravity of 80 to 90 ° C. for hot water of less than 1.
The plastic member is further printed,
The separation system of the composite container is
By pulverizing the composite container, a milling device for forming a plurality of flakes comprising a small piece of the container body and the small piece plastic member respectively,
Provided on the downstream side of the crushing device, by immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water, the flakes are separated into the small piece-shaped container body and the small piece-shaped plastic member, respectively , and A hot water separator for separating the small-piece-shaped container body and the small-piece-shaped plastic member in hot water and separating them separately due to the difference in their specific gravities. Separation and collection system for composite containers.

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