Production of high-quality polyethylene (PE) films from post-consumer shrink wrap with solvent targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP)

The solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP™) process separates polymers from contaminants present in the feedstock. In this work, we demonstrate the recyclability of a post-consumer waste (PCW) shrink wrap that contains inks, adhesives, and paper using STRAP. We produced a clear rPE cast film from the PCW shrink wrap with no visual contamination from paper or inks. STRAP decreased the ash content from 0. 96 wt% to 0. 24 wt%. A techno-economic analysis (TEA) shows that a STRAP plant processing 50, 000 metric tons annually of shrink wrap waste (purchased at 0. 25/kg) containing 85 wt% PE can achieve an IRR of 16. 2% when selling rPE at 1. 30/kg, an IRR of 10. 7% with an rPE price of 1. 00/kg, or an IRR of 3. 79% with an rPE price of 0. 70/kg. The life cycle assessment (LCA) shows a 64% reduction in global warming potential (kg CO2 equivalent) when compared to the production of virgin LDPE. This work shows how feedstocks with insoluble impurities can be recycled using STRAP on a large scale.