Plastic Industry Glossary, Plastic Additives, Ammonolysis, Blow Moulding, Buy Back Recycling Centres, Automatic Plastics Sorting, India

Additives:

A diverse group of specialty chemicals incorporated into plastic formulations before or during processing, or to the surfaces of finished products after processing. Their primary purpose is to modify the behavior of plastics during processing or to impart useful properties to fabricated plastic articles. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995).

Advanced Recycling Technologies (ART):

Processes that yield a variety of versatile and marketable end-products that are the building blocks from which new plastics and a variety of other products can be manufactured. This is achieved by converting or recycling plastics back into the raw materials from which they were made. ART includes such processes as methanolysis, glycolysis, hydrolysis, and thermal depolymerization. These technologies augment existing mechanical systems as part of an integrated approach to plastics recycling designed to increase the volume of post-consumer plastic plastics diverted from the waste stream and expand the variety of plastics that are recycled into new and useful products. (The Evolution of Plastics Recycling Technology, APC, 1994).

The American Plastics Council (APC):

A national organization whose mission is to actively demonstrate that plastics are a preferred material and a responsible choice in a more environmentally conscious world.

Ammonolysis:

A complete depolymerization process that breaks nylon into its building blocks or monomers that can then be repolymerized to make nylon in any form and for any market. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995).

Automatic Plastics Sorting:

The separation of mixed plastics by resin type and/or color via a mechanical system. A system detects the plastic type (or types) to be segregated and removes those materials from the stream. Common systems utilize conveyors, resin/color detectors, computer analysis and tracking and air jet ejectors. For plastic packaging, the separation may be on a macro (whole container) or micro (chopped/ground particles) basis. ("Automatic Sorting for Mixed Plastics," Peter Dinger, BioCycle, March 1992; "Automatic Microsorting for Mixed Plastics," Peter Dinger, BioCycle, April 1992)

Glossary - B

Bale:

The end product of a compaction process that is used to decrease the volume that material occupies by increasing the density and weight. Bales are typically 3' x 4' x 5' and must be bound with plastic stripping or wire to keep from falling apart. (Waste Reduction Strategies for Rural Communities, prepared by the MaCC Group, with support from Tennessee Valley Authority, March 1994).

Bisphenol-A (4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol):

An intermediate used in the production of epoxy, polycarbonate and phenolic resins. The name was coined after the condensation reaction by which it may be formed--two (bis) molecules of phenol with one of acetone (A). (Whittington's Dictionary of Plastics, published by Technomic Publishing).

Blow Molding:

A widely used process for the production of hollow thermoplastic shapes. The process is divided into two general categories: extrusion blow molding and injection blow molding. These processes are typically used to manufacture plastic bottles and containers. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995)

Extrusion Blow Molding: A parison or tube of plastic material is dropped or lowered from an extruder. Mold halves close around the parison, which is then expanded against the cavity wall by the injection of air. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995)
Injection Blow Molding: A two-stage process where plastic is first injection molded into a preform. The preform is then transferred to a blow mold where it is expanded. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995).

British Thermal Unit (Btu):

The quantity of heat required to increase the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. (The Recycler's Lexicon: A Glossary of Contemporary Terms and Acronyms, Resource Recycling Inc., 1995).

Buy-Back Recycling Centers:

A commercially located, staffed recycling facility that purchases small amounts of post-consumer plastic secondary materials from the public. Buy-back centers typically purchase aluminum cans and may also handle glass containers and newspaper. Typically, little processing of materials occurs at buy-back centers. (The Recycler's Lexicon: A Glossary of Contemporary Terms and Acronyms, Resource Recycling Inc., 1995).

Glossary - A