Description:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)

AND
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
(See Section 10; rule 13)

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

AN INK REMOVER AND AN INK REMOVAL PROCESS FROM WASTE PLASTIC

SHAKTI CORPORATION
INDIAN
15-16 GOVIND BHAVAN,
S.V. ROAD, MALAD (WEST).
MUMBAI-400 064
The following specification particularly describes the invention and manner in which
it is to be performed.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an ink remover. More particularly, it pertains to an ink remover for removing ink from waste plastic material and recycling the waste plastic material for further usage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present challenges of climate change and global warming are causing environmental degradation and endangering human, plant, and animal lives. One of the major causes of climate change is heaping large quantities of plastics used in numerous articles in the daily lives of humans. The plastics accumulate in the environment and cause environmental degradation.

[0003] To overcome environmental degradation through plastic waste, many green innovations and the usage of naturally occurring substances like bamboo, glass, and steel, are encouraged. However, this practice does not eliminate the use of plastic and consequently generates plastic waste.

[0004] Various governmental initiatives have banned the usage of plastic bags and plastic wrappers, yet most edible goods such as chocolates, chips, candies, spices, etc. are still packaged in plastics. Therefore, the consumption of plastics is not reducing, and consequent waste plastic generation increases.

[0005] In order to curtail this issue of waste plastic, conventionally incinerators are used to burn and incinerate the plastic waste. However, this method releases harmful and poisonous gases like monoxides, dioxides, and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) which cause air pollution and in turn, cause global warming.

[0006] To overcome the problem of air pollution, recycling of plastic and plastic wastes is considered as a possible alternative. In order to recycle waste plastic from wrappers and packets, written materials written in ink from such wrappers must be removed for multiple uses. This enables recycling the plastic to create other articles and objects useful for human consumption.

[0007] Conventionally certain ink removers are used to remove the ink from materials for recycling purposes; however, conventional ink removers remove ink from metal surfaces and clean excess ink from printers. Thus, a few of the prior arts of existing solutions are mentioned below:

[0008] EP18371821- This invention describes a liquid used as ink washing for a photocurable ink of an ink set in an inkjet printer system or an inkjet recording device. The liquid comprises one type of ether compound, pigment-dispersing agent, organic amine. The ether compound includes tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol divinyl ether, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monobenzyl ether, diethylene glycol monobenzylether, tripropylene glycol divinyl ether, dipropylene glycol divinyl ether, and tripropylene glycol diacrylate. The ink set includes any of the ink - cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, black ink, and white ink. However, the present invention does not disclose an ink remover for removing ink from waste plastic thereby enabling the recycling of plastic from plastic waste.

[0009] EP2832459A1- This invention discloses a method for removing ink printed on a plastic film which includes conditioning of printed material with chemical hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, grinding of film, removing ink from the treated plastic film obtained with a cleaning solution having dispersed ink residue, washing the treated plastic film, recovering cleaning solution in a centrifuge, and drying the film free of ink. However, the present invention does not disclose an ink remover for removing ink from waste plastic thereby enabling the recycling of plastic from plastic waste, and also the use of the above-mentioned chemical is rendered ineffective on waste plastic material.

[0010] WO2002089338A2: The invention describes selectively removing metal from a metalized substrate, such as a metalized polymer film, to create devices. This is achieved by exposing the metalized surface to an oxidizing chemical solution (NaOH) in a selective manner. Flexographic printing, using printing rollers, is used to apply the demetallizing solution to specific areas of the metalized layer. However, the present invention does not disclose an ink remover for removing ink from waste plastic thereby enabling the recycling of plastic from plastic waste.

[0011] EP17888486NWB1: This research paper discusses a cleaning liquid containing an acetylene glycol having an average molar number of addition of ethylene oxide which falls within a specific range, another acetylene glycol having an average molar number of addition of ethylene oxide which is larger than that of the aforementioned acetylene glycol or a polyethylene glycol alkyl ether containing an alkyl group having a specific number of carbon atoms, and a specific water-soluble organic solvent, it is possible to improve cleanability for water-based ink and dissolvability of a surfactant in the cleaning liquid and prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining on a member to be cleaned. However, the present invention does not disclose an ink remover for removing ink from waste plastic thereby enabling the recycling of plastic from plastic waste.

[0012] Therefore, in light of the disadvantages and lacunas of the existing ink removers, and provides an ink remover from waste plastic materials without using expensive chemicals and also solves the aforementioned problems.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The objective of the present invention is to provide an ink remover for removing ink from waste and scrap plastic materials.
[0014] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an ink remover with a chemical formulation that is cost-effective, chemically stable, and resistant to environmental conditions and does not require a complex experimental setup for usage.
[0015] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an ink remover that makes recycling of waste plastic faster and eliminates the usage of additional chemical compounds to remove ink from the waste plastic.
[0016] Yet another objective of the present invention is to enhance the recycling of waste plastic materials using combinations of different plastic wrappers and packets, and thereby produce more recycled plastics.
[0017] Yet another objective of the present invention is to reduce environmental degradation from huge quantities of plastic waste.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Within the scope of this application, it is expressly envisaged that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible.
[0019] The present invention generally relates to an ink remover for removing ink from waste plastic. The ink remover comprising a first compound such as, diethylene glycol mono butyl ether and a second compound such as, sodium hydroxide. The first compound and the second compound are combined in a predetermined proportion in a mixture, and the mixture is mixed with water for ink removal of the waste plastic. The water is set at a predetermined temperature between 70-80 degrees Celsius for enabling a smoothening of the waste plastic by increasing the porosity of the waste plastic, thereby enabling ease of ink removal from the waste plastic.
[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined proportion is 50% of the first compound and 50% of the second compound.
[0021] In another embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined proportion is 70% of the first compound and 30% of the second compound.
[0022] In another embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined proportion of the first compound is in a range of 50-80% and the second compound is in a range of 20-50%.
[0023] In another embodiment of the present invention, the second compound acts as a catalyst which enhances the activation of the first compound for ink removal from the waste plastic.
[0024] In another embodiment of the present invention, the mixture is mixed at a room temperature ranging from 18-25 degrees Celsius and mixed at a pressure of 1 atm.
[0025] In another embodiment of the present invention, the waste plastic includes waste plastic wrappers and a combination of waste plastic wrappers obtained from chocolates, candies, chips, and other packed plastic wrappers.
[0026] In another embodiment of the present invention, the efficiency of removal from the waste plastic by the ink remover is 85-98%.
[0027] In another embodiment of the present invention, the second compound is in a crystallized solid state, the first compound is a liquid solution, and the ink remover is a liquid solution.
[0028] In an embodiment, the ink remover is configured to remove ink used for writing on the waste plastic and metalized ink on the waste plastic.
[0029] In another aspect of the present invention, is a process of ink removal from waste plastic by an ink remover. The process comprises the steps of: firstly, shredding, waste plastic into small pieces for ease of mixing the waste plastic with an ink remover, by a twin shaft shredder; secondly, washing the shredded waste plastic with water set at a predetermined temperature of 70-80 degrees for forming a mixture; thirdly, spinning, the mixture of the waste plastic and ink remover for a preset time of 8-10 minutes and the mixture is flushed out of a spinner after the set preset time; fourthly, removing, chemical residue from the mixture, by washing the mixture with clean water set at room temperature; and finally drying, the mixture through the removal of all water from the mixture, by a dryer, and thereby obtaining a clean plastic with 85-98% of ink removed from the waste plastic.
[0030] In an embodiment of the present invention, the clean plastic is subjected to a densifying and extrusion process for obtaining clean granules of the clean plastic for recycling purposes.
[0031] In an embodiment, the ink remover is configured to remove ink used for writing on the waste plastic and metalized ink on the waste plastic.
[0032] In an embodiment, the mixture of ink remover and the water at a predetermined temperature is re-used for a consequent batch of the waste plastic.
[0033] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

[0034] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0035] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter of the present invention.
[0036] Figure 1a: A flowchart of the ink removal process on waste plastic by an ink remover.
[0037] Figure 2a and 2b: An illustration of waste plastic after the ink removal process by using the ink remover.

[0038] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings and flowchart. The embodiments are in such detail as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit, and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0040] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. Embodiments of this disclosure relate to the field of ink remover composition, specifically pertaining to ink removal from waste and scrap plastics for recycling the plastic. If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[0041] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0042] “Waste plastic” used herein refers to the polymer food packaging waste to be recycled which includes but is not limited to a combination of food wrappers, chocolate wrappers, biscuit wrappers, chips, spices, metalized plastics used for food delivery, etc., “clean plastic” used herein refers to the formation of polypropylene composition formed in the form of granules on recycling of polymer food packaging or the waste plastic. Waste plastics are construed to be composed of Polyethylene will be denoted as PE, Polypropylene will be denoted as PP, and polyethylene terephthalate will be denoted as PET. The words “mixing” and “blending” are intended to be equivalent in meaning and used interchangeably.
[0043] Although any methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure, the exemplary methods are now described. The described embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms.
[0044] Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. However, one of the ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments illustrated but is to be accorded with the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
[0045] The present invention provides an ink remover, specifically a chemical composition of the ink remover in various embodiments which enables the removal of ink from the waste plastics to provide a recycled clean plastic for further uses.
[0046] In one embodiment, the ink remover comprising a first compound and a second compound. The first compound is diethylene glycol mono butyl ether and the second compound is sodium hydroxide. The first compound and the second compound are combined in a predetermined proportion in a mixture, and the mixture is mixed with water for ink removal of the waste plastic. In one embodiment, the predetermined proportion is 50% of the first compound and 50% of the second compound. The water is set at a predetermined temperature between 70-80 degrees Celsius to enable a smoothening of the waste plastic by increasing the porosity of the waste plastic, thereby enabling ease of ink removal from the waste plastic.
[0047] In another embodiment, the first compound and the second compound are mixed at a proportion of 70% of the first compound and 30% of the second compound. In both the embodiments, the ink remover is produced at a room temperature of 18-35 degrees Celsius, and an atmospheric pressure of 1 atm. In one embodiment, the second compound exists in a crystalline solid state and the first compound exists in a liquid state. Once the first compound and the second compound are mixed in 50% to 50% or in 70% to 30% proportion, the first compound dissolves the crystallized second compound to form a liquid solution of the ink remover. In another embodiment, the predetermined proportion of the first compound is in a range of 50-80% and the second compound is in a range of 20-50% for varying the efficiency of ink removal from the waste plastic between 85-98%.
[0048] A conventional plastic through which the plastic wrappers are made has a porosity of 0%, which means that waste plastic has minimal porosity which implies that waste plastic is impermeable to air and moisture, and thus makes the waste plastic difficult to break down. Therefore, any writing written by ink on such a waste plastic would be difficult to break down. Further due to the minimal porosity of waste plastic, the ink removal process through conventional methods is difficult, complex, and cost intensive.
[0049] Therefore, in the present invention, the concentration and efficiency of the ink remover are strengthened by adding the second compound which acts as a catalyst in aiding the chemical interaction of the waste plastic with the first compound. In the first embodiment, when the first and the second compounds are added in a 50% to 50% proportion, the porosity of the waste plastic increases in the range of 1%-10%. This in turn makes the waste plastic more permeable and thereby interacts congruently with the ink remover. Due to the reduced porosity of the waste plastic, when the water at 70-80 degrees is added to the mixture of the ink remover and the waste plastic, the waste plastic becomes permeable to moisture from the water, and the higher temperature of the water aids in the faster breakdown of the waste plastic molecules, thereby increasing the quantities of ink to be removed from the waste plastic.
[0050] In another embodiment, when the first and the second compounds are added in a 70% to 30% proportion, the porosity of the waste plastic increases in the range of 10-30%. This in turn makes the waste plastic more permeable and thereby interacts congruently with the ink remover. Due to the reduced porosity of the waste plastic, when the water at 70-80 degrees is added to the mixture of the ink remover and the waste plastic, the waste plastic becomes much more permeable to moisture from the water, and the higher temperature of the water aids in the faster breakdown of the waste plastic molecules, thereby increasing large quantities of ink removal from the waste plastic. In both embodiments, the efficiency of ink removal from the waste plastic by the remover is 80-98% as compared to the conventional ink removal process on conventional plastic articles, whose efficiency is merely 75-85%.
[0051] An embodiment of the present invention is to disclose the process for recycling waste plastic by removing ink from the waste plastic and converting the same into clean plastic. It discloses a process of recycling that does not employ multiple chemical compounds or harmful chemicals. The process efficiently recycles waste plastics such as chocolate wrappers, and food wrappers which are composed of a blend of Biaxially oriented Polypropylene (BOPP), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), printing, and metalizing agents.
[0052] As shown in figure 1, a process (100) of ink removal from waste plastic by an ink remover, said process comprising steps of:
a. shredding (102), by a twin shaft shredder, waste plastic into small pieces for ease of mixing the waste plastic with the ink remover;
b. washing (103), the shredded waste plastic is mixed with water set at a predetermined temperature, the predetermined temperature is 70-80 degrees to form a mixture;
c. spinning (104), by a spinner, the mixture of the waste plastic and ink remover for a preset time and the mixture is flushed out of the spinner after the set preset time, and the preset time is 8-10 minutes;
d. removing (105) chemical residue from the mixture, by washing the mixture of waste plastic and ink remover with clean water set at room temperature;
e. drying (106), by a dryer, the mixture through the removal of all water from the mixture, and thereby obtaining a clean plastic with 85-98% of ink removed from the waste plastic.
[0053] Shredding: Shredding is done to reduce the size of plastic materials for easier handling, transportation, and further processing of the waste plastic. The main purpose of shredding the waste plastic is to reduce the size of the plastic wrappers into smaller pieces which are easier to recycle and also easier to transfer and mix the shredded waste plastic with the ink remover and water to create a homogenous mixture. In one embodiment, either a single-shaft shredder or a twin-shaft shredders are used to shred the waste plastic. The shredding process includes feeding the waste plastic into a shredder’s hopper, thereafter the high-speed rotating shredder’s blades cut or tear through the waste plastic, reducing it into smaller pieces, and finally the shredded waste plastic waste exits through a screen or grate, with the size of the pieces determined by the size of the screen holes.
[0054] Washing: The shredded waste plastic is mixed with the ink remover and washed with water at a predetermined temperature. When the ink remover is added to the shredded waste plastic, due to the small size of the plastic, the ink remover interacts quickly with the waste plastic and in turn the porosity of the waste plastic increases in the range of 1-30% depending upon the concentration of the ink remover added to the plastic waste. Due to the reduced porosity of the waste plastic, when the water at 70-80 degrees is added to the mixture of the ink remover and the waste plastic, the waste plastic becomes permeable to moisture from the water, and the higher temperature of the water aids in the faster breakdown of the waste plastic molecules, thereby increasing larger quantities of ink to be removed from the waste plastic.
[0055] In one embodiment, the washer is a drum with perforated holes disposed on an inner surface. The shredded plastic is mixed with the water at a predetermined temperature and the ink remover in this drum. The water at the predetermined temperature and the ink remover is passed through the perforated holes on the shredded waste plastic. The washer is provided with a rotator which rotates and mixes the mixture of water, shredded plastic, and the ink remover. The frictional and centrifugal force from the rotator forcibly removes all the ink and metalized ink from the shredded waste plastic thereby making ink-free waste plastic.
[0056] In another embodiment, the ink-free waste plastic is separated from the liquid mixture of water at the predetermined temperature and the ink remover, and the ink-free waste plastic is sent to a spinner. The liquid mixture settles in the mixer and another batch of the shredded waste plastic is added to the mixture for the next round of ink removal process. Therefore, a single batch of liquid mixture of water at a predetermined temperature and the ink remover is capable of removing ink from at least two batches of the shredded waste plastic. Thus, the mixture of ink remover and water at a predetermined temperature is re-used for a consequent batch of the waste plastic.
[0057] Spinning: Spinning is typically done to reshape or separate waste plastic into smaller parts, and fibers, or to remove impurities. In one embodiment, the spinner with a centrifugal separation or a fiber formation is used. The spinning process involves spinning the plastic waste at high speeds to separate lighter materials from heavier ones. This method relies on centrifugal force to create a separation based on density and thereby separate the chemical impurities and ink substrates removed from the plastic waste by the ink remover. The plastic waste is placed in a rotating drum or container, and as it spins, the denser materials are pushed outward, while lighter materials move toward the center or stay suspended. Thus, the plastic mixture is pushed outward from the spinner, and the chemical impurities with ink removed from the plastic waste stay suspended in the inner drum of the spinner. In one embodiment, the spinner drum rotates for a preset time of 8-10 minutes. Thereafter the plastic mixture is washed and cleaned again with clean room-temperature water to remove all remaining chemical sediments and inks and restore the porosity of the plastic waste.
[0058] Drying: Drying the plastic waste in a dryer is a process used to remove moisture or solvents from plastic materials before they are further processed, recycled, or reused. It is an important step in many plastic recycling or manufacturing operations because moisture can interfere with subsequent processes, such as melting, molding, or extrusion. The moisture removal from the clean plastic is essential to prevent contamination of the clean plastic and to keep the permeability of the clean plastic intact. In one embodiment, the dryer is either a rotary dryer, a fluidized dryer, a vacuum dryer, or a conveyor dryer. The shredded and cleaned plastic waste is suspended in a flow of hot air, which increases the surface area exposed to the heat, allowing for faster and more efficient drying. Thus, proper drying helps maintain the integrity of the clean plastic, prevents issues during processing, and can increase the overall quality of recycled plastic products.
[0059] In further embodiments, the clean plastic is subjected to a densifying and extrusion process for obtaining clean granules of said clean plastic for recycling purposes.
[0060] Densifying: It refers to a process of compacting or compressing plastic materials to reduce their volume and make them easier to handle, transport, or further process in recycling operations. The primary goal of densification is to increase the bulk density of the clean plastic by reducing the space between the material particles. The densifying process is done to reduce the volume and improve the handling of the clean plastic for ease of recycling the clean plastic. In mechanical densification, the clean plastic is compressed using machinery like balers or compactors. This process involves applying pressure to reduce the volume and create compact blocks or bales of clean plastic. The baler compresses the clean plastic into tightly packed bales, which can then be transported or stored for later recycling. The compactors, including mechanical rollers or hydraulic presses, press the clean plastic waste into a dense, manageable form which is easily transported to the next process.
[0061] Extrusion: The extrusion process of the clean plastic is important in recycling and reprocessing the waste plastic. It involves melting down the clean plastic and forcing it through a mold or die to form a continuous shape such as pellets, sheets, films, or other desired forms. This process is particularly important in the recycling of thermoplastics or waste plastics, as it allows for the conversion of clean plastic without ink into usable materials for manufacturing new products. In this process, the clean plastic is heated to a specific temperature that makes it flow like a viscous liquid. The temperature is carefully controlled to ensure the clean plastic reaches the required viscosity for extrusion but does not degrade thereby obtaining a homogenous clean mixture. Thereafter, the melted clean plastic is forced through a die, which is a mold that shapes the material into the desired form. Finally, once shaped, the melted clean plastic is cooled by passing it through an air-cooling chamber or by spraying it with cool water to rapidly solidify the melted clean plastic into the final desired shape of the recycled object.
[0062] Figures 2a and 2b- An illustration of waste plastic after the ink removal process by using the ink remover. In one embodiment, figure 2a is an illustration of waste plastic and figure 2b is an illustration of clean plastic. In another embodiment, the waste plastic such as a plastic wrapper from chips includes ink which is used for writing the name and description of the product on the waste plastic wrapper or packet, and the waste plastic also includes a metalized ink provided on an inner surface of the waste plastic wrapper or packet. The metalized ink or layer acts as a protective layer to keep the food edible and prevent penetration of harmful ultraviolet rays. The ink remover is configured to remove the ink used for writing the name and a description of the product as well as remove the metalized ink which is provided on an inner surface of the waste plastic packet or wrapper. In another embodiment, the waste plastic wrapper or packet is made wholly from metalized ink. In one embodiment, the ink remover is configured to remove the ink used for writing the name, and a description of the product is provided on an outer surface of the waste plastic wrapper or packet. This in turn provides a clean and clear plastic that is used for recycling purposes.
EXAMPLES
a. In an embodiment of the present invention, as disclosed in Figure 01, ink remover with a mixture of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (C8H18O3) in 50% ratio along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 50% ratio of ink remover is made, i.e. 1 liter of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and 1 kg of sodium hydroxide is added to make the ink remover. This concentration of the ink remover is added in 4% quantity to a batch of 50 kgs of waste plastic and thereafter 50 liters of water at a predetermined temperature (70-80 degrees Celsius) is mixed for 8-10 minutes, in such a situation, the ink removal rate from the waste plastic is 90-92%.
b. In another embodiment of the present invention, as disclosed in Figure 01, ink remover with a mixture of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (C8H18O3) in 70% ratio along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 30% ratio of ink remover is made, i.e. 4.2 liters of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and 1.8 kg of sodium hydroxide is added to make the ink remover. This concentration of the ink remover is added in 6% quantity to a batch of 50 kgs of waste plastic and thereafter 50 liters of water at a predetermined temperature (70-80 degrees Celsius) is mixed for 8-10 minute, in such a situation, the ink removal rate from the waste plastic is 96-98%.
c. In another embodiment, of the present invention, as disclosed in Figure 01, ink remover with a mixture of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (C8H18O3) in 50% ratio along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 50% ratio of ink remover is made, i.e. 1 liter of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and 1 kg of sodium hydroxide is added to make the ink remover. The same concentration of the ink remover in 4% quantity is added to a fresh batch of 50 kgs of waste plastic and thereafter 50 liters of water at a predetermined temperature (70-80 degrees Celsius) is mixed for 8-10 minutes, in such a situation, the ink removal rate from the waste plastic is 85-90%.
d. In another embodiment of the present invention, as disclosed in Figure 01, ink remover with a mixture of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (C8H18O3) in 70% ratio along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 30% ratio of ink remover is made, i.e. 4.2 liters of the Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and 1.8 kg of sodium hydroxide is added to make the ink remover. The same concentration of the ink remover in 6% quantity is added to a fresh batch of 50 kgs of waste plastic and thereafter 50 liters of water at a predetermined temperature (70-80 degrees Celsius) is mixed for 8-10 minutes, in such a situation, the ink removal rate from the waste plastic is 90-95%.
e. While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples, which are comprised to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
f. The invention provides an ink remover for removing ink from waste and scrap plastic materials, enabling more plastic waste recycling.
g. The invention provides the increased porosity of the waste plastic by adding the water at a higher temperature enabling smoothening of the waste plastic and thereby increasing the amount of ink removed from the waste plastic.
h. The invention provides that the second compound acts as a catalyst which enhances the ink removal strength of the first compound.
i. The invention also provides that the ink remover is created at room temperature and pressure and thereby eliminates the requirement of a complex and expensive experimental setup. This also enables the ink remover to maintain its structural integrity and thereby prevent unwarranted chemical reactions with environmental parameters, such as environmental moisture, dirt, dust particles etc.
j. The invention also eliminates the usage of expensive and multiple chemicals in the ink remover and therefore provides a cost-effective ink remover.
k. The invention provides ink removal from all kinds of plastic waste such as wrappers, packets, crumbled wrappers, etc., all at the same time which gives modularity of the remover in its usage across all plastic materials.
l. The invention also provides ease of removal of ink from bulk plastic wastes and thereby enables recycling and preventing environmental degradation.
m. The invention also provides the recycling of the same concentration of ink remover for removing ink from more than one batch of waste plastic, this saves the cost of the ink remover and also reduces wastage of water and the ink remover.
n. The invention prevents wastage of water and other materials and thereby provides an eco-friendly product and process of ink removal from waste plastic.
o. The invention provides an efficient waste management ecosystem and ensures the recycling of waste plastic without wasting of water and other precious natural resources.
, Claims:CLAIMS
I/ We Claim:
1. An ink remover, wherein said ink remover comprising:
a first compound, said first compound being Diethylene Glycol mono butyl ether;
a second compound, said second compound being sodium hydroxide;
characterized by,
wherein said first compound and said second compound being combined in a predetermined proportion in a mixture and said mixture being mixed with water for ink removal of waste plastic;
wherein said water being set at a predetermined temperature, said predetermined temperature being between 70-80 degrees Celsius for enabling a smoothening of said waste plastic by increasing porosity of said waste plastic, thereby enabling ease of ink removal from said waste plastic.
2. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined proportion being 50% of said first compound, and 50% of said second compound.
3. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined proportion being 70% of said first compound, and 30% of said second compound.
4. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined proportion of said first compound being in a range of 50-80% and said second compound being a range of 20-50%.
5. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second compound acting as a catalyst which enhances activation of said first compound for ink removal from said waste plastic.
6. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mixture being mixed at a room temperature ranging from 18-25 degrees Celsius.
7. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mixture being mixed at a pressure of 1 atm.
8. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said waste plastic including waste plastic wrappers and a combination of waste plastic wrappers obtained from chocolates, candies, chips, and other packed plastic wrappers.
9. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ink removal from said waste plastic by said ink remover occurs at an efficiency in a range of 85-98%.
10. The ink remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second compound being in a crystallized solid state and said first compound being a liquid solution, and wherein said ink remover being a liquid solution.
11. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ink remover being configured to remove ink used for writing on said waste plastic and metalized ink on said waste plastic.
12. A process (100) of ink removal by an ink remover, said process comprising steps of:
shredding (102), waste plastic into small pieces for ease of mixing said waste plastic with said ink remover, by a twin shaft shredder; characterized by:
washing (103), said waste plastic being shredded, and said waste plastic being mixed with water set at a predetermined temperature, said predetermined temperature being 70-80 degrees for forming a mixture;
spinning (104), said mixture of said waste plastic and ink remover for a preset time and said mixture being flushed out of a spinner after said set preset time, wherein said preset time being 8-10 minutes;
removing (105), chemical residue from said mixture, by washing said mixture of waste plastic and ink remover with clean water set at room temperature;
drying (106), said mixture through removal of all water from said mixture, by a dryer, and thereby obtaining a clean plastic with 85-98% of ink removed from said waste plastic.
13. The process (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein said clean plastic being subjected to a densifying and an extrusion process for obtaining clean granules of said clean plastic for recycling purposes.
14. The process (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein said ink remover being configured to remove ink used for writing on said waste plastic and metalized ink on said waste plastic.
15. The process (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein said mixture of ink remover and said water at a predetermined temperature being re-used for a consequent batch of said waste plastic.

Dated 24th December 2024