Media recycling and sanitization
View Patent ↗Polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic components are obtained from a multicomponent polyester device by reacting the multicomponent polyester device with an amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and an alcohol solvent. The reaction recovers (i) the polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic components as solid inert by-products of the reaction, (ii) the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same for reuse, (iii) unreacted alcohol for reuse, and (iv) a polyester monomer product. Where the multicomponent device includes a non-polyester material, such as polystyrene, the polystyrene is fully recovered from the reaction. Where the multicomponent polyester device includes recording media, the reaction process sanitizes the inert byproducts of the recording media, thus scrubbing any personal data from the reacted recording media.
1. A method comprising:
reacting a multicomponent device comprising a polyester component and a magnetic and/or metallic component with an amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and an alcohol solvent; and
recovering (i) the magnetic and/or metallic component as a polyester-free solid inert by-product of the reaction, (ii) the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same for reuse, (iii) unreacted alcohol for reuse, and (iv) a polyester monomer product.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyester monomer product is dissolved in the alcohol solvent and is separated from the solid inert by-products of the reaction.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic and/or metallic component is recovered by a technique selected from the group consisting of filtration, magnetism, centrifugation, evaporation, and combinations thereof.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic and/or metallic component of the multi-component device comprises recorded media and the recovered polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic component is sanitized of data that was contained within or on the recorded media prior to the reaction of the multicomponent media device with the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and the alcohol solvent.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine of the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same is a tertiary amine and the alcohol solvent is a glycol or a diol.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same is triethylamine and the alcohol solvent is ethylene glycol.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein multicomponent device comprise a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) component and the recovered polyester monomer product is bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET).
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein multicomponent device comprises a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) component and the recovered polyester monomer product is bis(2-hydroxyethyl)naphthalate (BHEN).
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multicomponent device comprises at least one non-polyester component that is recovered following the reaction of the multicomponent device with the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and the alcohol solvent.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the non-polyester component is a polystyrene component.
11. A method comprising:
reacting a multicomponent media device comprising a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) component, a polystyrene component, and a magnetic and/or metallic component with an amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and an alcohol solvent; and
recovering (i) the magnetic and/or metallic component as polyester-free solid inert by-products of the reaction, (ii) the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same for reuse, (iii) unreacted alcohol solvent for reuse, (iv) bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate) (BHET), and (v) the polystyrene component.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the BHET is dissolved in the alcohol solvent and is separated from the solid inert by-products of the reaction.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic component is recovered by a technique selected from the group consisting of filtration, magnetism, centrifugation, evaporation, and combinations thereof.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the magnetic and/or metallic component of the multi-component device comprises recorded media and the recovered polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic component is sanitized of data that was contained within or on the recorded media prior to the reaction of the multicomponent media device with the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and the alcohol solvent.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the amine of the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same is tertiary amine and the alcohol solvent is a glycol or a diol.
16. The method of claim 11 , where the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same is triethylamine and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and the alcohol solvent is ethylene glycol.
17. A method comprising:
reacting a multicomponent media device comprising a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) component, a polystyrene component, and a magnetic and/or metallic component with an amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and an alcohol solvent; and
recovering (i) magnetic and/or metallic component as a polyester-free solid inert by-products of the reaction, (ii) the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same for reuse, (iii) unreacted alcohol solvent for reuse, (iv) bis(2-hydroxyethyl)naphthalate (BHEN), and (v) the polystyrene component.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the BHEN is dissolved in the alcohol solvent and is separated from the solid inert by-products of the reaction.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic component is recovered by a technique selected from the group consisting of filtration, magnetism, centrifugation, evaporation, and combinations thereof.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the magnetic and/or metallic component of the multi-component device comprises recorded media and the recovered polyester-free magnetic and/or metallic component is sanitized of data that was contained within or on the recorded media prior to the reaction of the multicomponent media device with the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and the alcohol solvent.
21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the amine of the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same is tertiary amine and the alcohol solvent is a glycol or a diol.
22. The method of claim 17 , where the amine organocatalyst and/or carboxylic acid salt of same is triethylamine and/or carboxylic acid salt of same and the alcohol solvent is ethylene glycol.