DESC:
FORM 2

THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[section 10 and rule 13]

COMPOSITE MATERIAL DERIVED FROM NON-BIODEGRADABLE WASTE AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCTION THEREOF

Pelican Kenterra Pvt. Ltd.,

an Indian Company
of Address , 117/3 , Vayalar P.O. Cherthala, Kerala - 688536, India.

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel product which is a composite material derived out of non-biodegradable wastes and a method for producing the composite material from all shredded non-biodegradable (NBD) waste materials like plastic, paper, cloth, leather (synthetic or natural), rubber but not limited to, and Polystyrene, such as, but not limited to, General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS), High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Polystyrene Copolymers, as the binder. This material is press- moulded into porous unbreakable pots, sheets, composting bins, packaging materials, partition panels etc. These products are highly porous, less brittle and have high impact-resistance. The process offers a sustainable method for repurposing non-biodegradable waste.

BACKGROUND ART

The non-biodegradable wastes other than high density plastic, metal and glass are currently burnt or buried. There are no commercially viable solutions for their recycling. The laminated paper also suffers from recycling issues due to the cost of separation of paper and plastic lamination. The polystyrene waste from packaging is simply dumped because there is no existing recycling solution. The current art of plastic pots/plastic boards/plastic road curbs are injection- moulded plastic pots that are brittle and easily get damaged if dropped down or hit with a hard object.

The present invention provides for a novel composite pot/boards/road curb / composting bins/ packaging material made of shredded plastic/paper/cloth/ /rubber/ leather etc bonded with polystyrene gel such that there is a perennial solution for Non-biodegradable waste menace.

In the prior art, during manufacture, pre-coloured plastic granules are used, which are made from waste materials generated by other companies. Mechanical recycling of plastic waste materials is a growing tendency throughout the world. The advantage of purchased granules is that they are selectively chosen and the constituent parts are not mixed. A base material which is clear, translucent may be selected thereby the list of products may be made wider. As additive material, suitably fine-grained sand is used which is available at little cost. As a coloring agent, pulverized paint is advantageously mixed with some material ensuring UV resistance is used.

In a prior art, a Patent application US 2003157297 describes a method and apparatus for forming an article in which thermoplastic materials are used as the binding agent. Materials are shredded in a shredder, compressed in a compressing chamber and moulded in a moulding chamber. The thermoplastics material is heated whilst the material is held under compression and then cooled to bind the material together. In one embodiment, superheated steam is supplied via tubes having apertures there along. In another embodiment, superheated steam is supplied via apertures in the side walls of the mould. Blocks formed by the method and apparatus can be used as construction materials etc. and have good structural, thermal and acoustic properties.

In another prior art, an US specification US8900492 discloses the process for the preparation of thermal insulation sheets fashioned from certain unseparated mixtures of post-consumer plastic articles and the article, itself, is disclosed. The mixtures of such articles contain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) and optionally also articles made of high density polyethylene (HDPE). An unseparated mixture of such articles is provided. This mixture is crushed and shredded to form plastic flakes, and these plastic flakes are then homogenized. Homogenization of the flakes can be carried out either by melt-blending them or by further comminution to produce very fine particles of the mixed plastics. The resulting homogenized mixture of plastic types is then compression molded into sheets ranging in thickness from about 3 to 10 mm.

In yet another prior art https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263745305 titled - “Recycling_disposable_cups_into_paper_plastic_composites” reports where disposable cups have been shredded to form Paper- Plastic laminates (PPL) flakes and these have been used to reinforce polypropylene to form novel paper plastic composites (PPCs).

The technologies referenced in the prior art are neither scalable nor commercially viable due to the following challenges:
1. Dependence on Segregating the Non-Biodegradable (NBD) Waste:
Existing technologies require waste to be segregated into single-material streams because each material has distinct physicochemical properties, such as glass transition temperature, GSM, and chemical composition. These variations significantly affect melting and recycling processes. However, publicly available NBD waste typically consists of a mixture of 15–40 different materials with diverse physicochemical characteristics. Current technologies cannot process such mixed waste effectively.

2. Centralized Processing Requirements:

Most prior technologies rely on centralized heat processing equipment and skilled labor, necessitating significant capital expenditure (CapEx) and logistical costs for transporting waste to centralized facilities.

3. Inferior Product Quality:
The products manufactured from recycled NBD waste using these technologies often lack practical end-use applications. Their quality is typically inferior to similar products made from virgin plastic, making them less competitive and unsuitable for real-world use.
Given these limitations, managing NBD waste remains a critical societal challenge. The present invention addresses these shortcomings by introducing a technology that is decentralized, does not require high-end equipment, can be operated by unskilled workers, and produces commercially viable products of superior quality.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a composite material made of shredded Non-Biodegradable (NBD) waste. The NBD waste mentioned in this document of the patent comprises and is not limited to plastic, paper, laminated paper, cloth, leather, rubber, thermocol, polystyrene materials and their combinations and equivalents. These NBD wastes are processed into a porous/crack- resistant/crash-resistant composite material usable for various applications thereby providing perennial solutions for NBD waste management over the prior art problem.

The composite material comprising of non-biodegradable (NBD) waste materials including paper, plastic, cloth, rubber, leather (natural or synthetic), glued together with a polystyrene glue, and General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS), High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Polystyrene Copolymers, as binder.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a composite material from waste material comprising the steps of:
a. preparing of polystyrene gel as binder by dissolving polystyrene/ polystyrene waste in a solvent selected from petrol, diesel, acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene and the like;
b. introducing shredded plastic waste / thermoplastic material / laminated paper into the said polystyrene gel;
c. mixing the above materials in a way that the materials are comminuted so that after mixing a malleable base mass is obtained; and
d. transferring the above said base mass into a mold for shaping and pressing the said base mass into pre-set mold shape.

The shaped body produced with the method according to the invention consists of a shredded NBD waste in a quasi-chaotic manner. This means that the shredded particles are present in the composite material in a disorderly manner.

The advantages of such a composite derived of shredded NBD waste mixed with polystyrene gel are
1. No need for segregation of the mixed waste: It is not necessary to segregate the NBD waste into its respective chemical components which is very tedious and literally impractical as the NBD waste generated in the society is extremely mixed up.

2. Safety and Simplicity: Such composite materials mentioned in the present invention are easy and less dangerous to process. Processing is easier and less hazardous than alternatives like glass or steel reinforcements.

3. Design flexibility: In addition, the invention allows greater design freedom and diversity for the final product after processing, because the shredded particles, integrated into a fluid form, can be easily molded into various sizes and shapes. The composite material can be easily designed to be a pot or a sheet or crash barrier or road median curb or wall panel or composting bin or packaging material by creating an appropriate mold.

4. Waste Utilization: It provides a sustainable solution for recycling various NBD wastes (domestic and industrial) that are otherwise difficult to recycle, addressing the global waste problem.
Out of the domestic NBD wastes like Plastic, paper, rubber, cloth, , leather, polystyrene etc. only a handful of NBD waste like HDPE, PP, a fraction of LDPE etc is getting recycled (that too very limited cycles – possibly 3 to 4 cycles). Similarly there are many NBD Waste associated with industries too that are not reaching appropriate reuse or recycling. Hence billions of tons of NBD waste get piled up across the world or are getting buried in landfill or burnt. Our invention provides a perennial solution for all these types of NBD wastes.

5. Composite as Crash Barrier and its Advantages: The medians/crash barriers on roads are currently made of concrete/solid bricks, which are very hard and destructive in the event of a crash. The high cost of it persuades the road authorities to limit its height to a foot or so. This has resulted in many fatal incidents when the vehicles cross these medians and results in head on collision with opposite traffic. The road median curbs/ crash guards made of the composite material mentioned in this innovation are porous, soft and hence will absorb the crash impact very well, reducing the damage created. Further it is very cheap when compared to the concrete/solid brick -based counterparts. Hence road median heights can be economically enhanced. Thousands of Kilometres of road medians made of the composite material mentioned in this patent will take care of millions of tons of NBD waste lying around.

6. Eco-Friendly Building Materials: Solid brick partitions in buildings can be replaced with eco-friendly panels made from this composite.
The primary structure in buildings being taken care of by concrete and steel columns, the partitions are being made by solid bricks which can be replaced by more eco-friendly panels made of composite materials provided in this patent.

7. Remediation of Soiled Waste: The present invention also accommodates soiled waste to a very good extent thereby providing forward linkage of NBD waste generated out of dump site remediation which are soiled by presence of many other different physico-chemical entities.

9. Non-Heating Process: The present invention involves non-heating processes thereby enabling cheaper process equipment, reduced operational cost and less carbon footprint. This provides for a huge economical advantage.
The present invention not only tackles waste management challenges, but also offers cost-effective and versatile applications in infrastructure and construction while minimizing environmental impact.
In a preferred embodiment, the mixture is made in the mixing device at the ratio of predefined 1:0.1 (NBD waste : polystyrene Gel), in a predefined, revolutions per minute without applying any heat. A mixing time of 05 - 15 minutes, has proven particularly advantageous. This means that very short mixing times are possible with the preferred method, so that a short cycle time can be achieved. Due to the preferred revolutions, high shearing forces can be exerted on the mixture on the one hand and a thick fluid can be injected into the mould. On the other hand, heating and consequently also undesired chemical processes can be prevented, in particular by a short mixing time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Fig 1(a – d) illustrates pictorial representation of molded composite material in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention offers a method to convert shredded non-biodegradable (NBD) waste and polystyrene gel into a versatile composite material that can be molded into a variety of products, such as porous pots, sheets, packaging materials, composting bins, partition panels, road curbs, and crash barriers.

Shredded NBD materials are available in plenty with the local self-government bodies and waste processing industries across the globe as a part of the waste collection and storing system. However currently there is no forward linkage of these wastes due to which they are dumped, buried, spread in water bodies or burnt, creating huge environmental destruction. The shredded NBD waste is not reaching its destination due to commercial un-viability in forward linkage.
NBD waste, abundantly available through waste collection systems, is currently discarded due to a lack of commercially viable recycling processes. The present invention addresses this gap by utilizing NBD waste like plastic, laminated paper, cloth, leather, rubber, and their combinations, which are generally non-recyclable.

Shredded NBD material can be manufactured by simply shredding the NBD waste like and not limited to plastic, paper, laminated paper and plastic, cloth, leather, rubber waste and their combinations and equivalents. Most of the plastic wastes are not viable for commercial recycling as the existing processes in prior art require high chemical purity for recycling. Currently most of the plastic wastes are a combination of one or more chemical entities. Laminated paper is not viably processed in the pulping process because the plastic lamination in laminated paper with significant quantities of pulp becomes a waste and is a huge environmental hazard. Polystyrene foam is still the most used packaging and upholstery material. The foam is a huge environmental hazard as there is no commercially viable forward linkage process. Similarly there is no proven recycling for rubber, cloth, , leather wastes.

The process involves first dissolving polystyrene foam in solvents (petrol, diesel, acetone, toluene, ethyl acetate, natural resins, spent extracts, spent oleoresins from phytochemical industries and their combinations and not limited to ) to create a gel. The foam will dissolve in these solvents or a combination of them and shrink considerably to form a gel. Then the Shredded NBD waste is mixed with the gel to form a homogeneous composite material. This mixture is pressed into molds of desired shapes, cured, air-dried, and optionally coated with polystyrene gel for a smooth finish and reinforcement. The resulting products are porous, durable, and shock-resistant.

Shredded NBD waste is simply mixed manually or mechanically with this gel in a ratio appropriate for the end use. The mixed material is immediately added into a mold and pressed and left for appropriate time to cure. The mold is gently released to remove the molded material and kept for air drying for predefined time. The molded output is then gently dipped into the polystyrene gel for a smooth finish and additional reinforcement if required. The mold can generate a vessel or a sheet as required. Such a product will have the properties of a porous material and will be flexible enough to withstand considerable physical shock.

As per an embodiment the NBD wastes are selected and cleaned e.g. washed preferably by applying large-scale cleaning process or by a de-dusting process. Then the NBD wastes are dried and cut into small pieces in a shredder. Plastic materials which can be used include (but are not limited to) the following: PE(polyethylene), PP(polypropylene), PA(polyamide), PC(polycarbonate), HDPE(high density polyethylene, ABS), PMMA(plexiglas or acrylic), PVC(polyvinyl chloride), foil etc. Other NBD wastes used comprise of rubber, leather, cloth, , paper, laminated paper of any size and shape. Advantageously they are used in shredded state.

The shredded material is cleaned and mixed with the polystyrene gel as a binding material in a mixer (manual or mechanical) and a uniform, homogeneous material is formed. The composite material is made of shredded NBD waste material and polystyrene foam as binder in the predefined ratio. Then this mixture is filled into moulds by means of an injector and cold forming is started at a predefined pressure. A mixer machine is instrumental in mixing the binding material and the additive material.

The mixed composite mixture is forced out from the mixing apparatus and filled into the mould of the desired end product. The final shape of the product is formed by pressing. When pressing is completed, the mould is cooled and the fluid mixture solidifies. Then the product is taken out from the mould and further cooled. After that the shape of the product is fixed.

The ratio of the different NBD waste materials used here mostly varies on their quality and physical state. The proportion of the binding material and the additive material may be different by mass percentage depending on the quality of the polystyrene gel and the composition of the NBD waste materials available for each batch of the process. The proportion of such materials can be fixed by arriving at the physical properties of the end product to be derived.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a composite mixture is prepared and heated to, but not limited to, 150°C in a heating apparatus, causing the composite to soften. The softening temperature varies depending on the specific components of the mixture and may differ between production batches. The softened mixture is then forced out of the mixing apparatus and filled into a mold corresponding to the desired shape of the end product. The final shape is achieved by applying pressure to the mold. Once the pressing step is complete, the mold is cooled, allowing the fluid mixture to solidify. The solidified product is then removed from the mold and cooled further, fixing its shape.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the molded product within the mold is heated again to, but not limited to, 150°C. This heating step softens the outer surface of the product, forming a thin film that enhances its surface strength. After heating, the mold is cooled, and the product is removed. This additional process improves the overall strength and durability of the product.
In yet another embodiment, the molded product removed from the mold is inserted into a casing that closely matches the shape of the product. This casing is made of, but not limited to, materials such as Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), reinforced cement concrete (RCC), or similar solid materials. The casing provides a snug fit with the product, ensuring that the outer surface of the molded product and the inner surface of the casing are closely packed. This embedding process enhances the product’s protection against external impacts, exposure to sunlight, and air oxidation, thereby increasing its lifespan and reliability.
Examples
Example 1: Polystyrene gel was made by mixing 0.5Kg of polystyrene in 1L toluene. 1Kg of shredded plastic was mixed with 0.5 L of polystyrene gel. The mixture was stirred well in a vessel using a metal hoe in such a way that the mixture is uniform. This mixture was added into a pot mold and pressed with 0.5Kg pressure and left for 1 min. The mold was gently released and the pot was taken out for air drying. After 2 hours, the pot was gently rotated inside the vessel containing polystyrene gel for a minute to ensure additional coating on the pot. The pot then was taken out and air dried for 2 hours to get the finished product. The pot exhibited appreciable porous properties and didn’t exhibit any physical damage when dropped from 1 M height to cement ground.
Example 2: 1Kg of shredded plastic mixed with 0.5 L of polystyrene was pressed into a sheet mold with 0.5Kg pressure for 1 min. The mold was gently released and the sheet was taken out for air drying for 2 hours to get the finished product. The sheet exhibited appreciable spongy nature and didn’t exhibit any physical damage when dropped from 1 M height to cement ground.
The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and of description, not limiting to the various parameters. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The functionality of mould described may be implemented in a single executable or application or may be distributed in number and distribution of functionality from those such as herein described.

We Claim
1. A composite material comprising of non-biodegradable (NBD) waste materials including paper, plastic, cloth, rubber, leather (natural or synthetic), glued together with a polystyrene glue, and General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS), High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Polystyrene Copolymers, as binder.
2. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said polystyrene glue is made from polystyrene / waste polystyrene foam by dissolving the polystyrene / waste polystyrene foam in an appropriate solvent including petrol, diesel, acetone, toluene, ethyl acetate, natural resins, spent extracts, waste paint components and waste oleoresins from phytochemical / herbal industries and their combinations.
3. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-biodegradable waste is used with polystyrene gel, as the binder, in a ratio but not limited to 1:0.5
4. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said composite material is compressed in a mold to get pre-set mold shape and size and to produce objects of said shape.
5. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said composite material after molding is encased in a container made of plastic, concrete and metal.
6. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said composite material after molding is heated to 150 degree C for 10 min.
7. A method for producing a composite material from waste material comprising the steps of:
a. preparing of polystyrene gel as binder by dissolving polystyrene/ polystyrene waste in a solvent selected from petrol, diesel, acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene and the like;
b. introducing shredded plastic waste / thermoplastic material / laminated paper into the said polystyrene gel;
c. mixing the above materials in a way that the materials are comminuted so that after mixing a malleable base mass is obtained; and
d. transferring the above said base mass into a mold for shaping and pressing the said base mass into pre-set mold shape.
8. The method of producing a composite material as claimed in claim 7, wherein the said composite material includes non-biodegradable (NBD) waste materials including paper, plastic, cloth, rubber, leather (natural or synthetic), glued together with a polystyrene glue, and General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS), High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Polystyrene Copolymers, as binder
9. The method of producing a composite material as claimed in claim 7, wherein the said composite material after transferring to a mold is then heated to 150 Degree C for 10 min such a way that the outer surface is melted and smoothened giving more strength to the said composite material.
10. The method of producing a composite material as claimed in claim 7, wherein said composite material after molding is encased in a container made of plastic, concrete and metal.

(SOUMAH MITRA)
For Applicant

,CLAIMS:We Claim
1. A composite material comprising of non-biodegradable (NBD) waste materials including paper, plastic, cloth, rubber, leather (natural or synthetic), glued together with a polystyrene glue, and General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS), High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Polystyrene Copolymers, as binder.
2. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said polystyrene glue is made from polystyrene / waste polystyrene foam by dissolving the polystyrene / waste polystyrene foam in an appropriate solvent including petrol, diesel, acetone, toluene, ethyl acetate, natural resins, spent extracts, waste paint components and waste oleoresins from phytochemical / herbal industries and their combinations.
3. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-biodegradable waste is used with polystyrene gel, as the binder, in a ratio but not limited to 1:0.5
4. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said composite material is compressed in a mold to get pre-set mold shape and size and to produce objects of said shape.
5. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said composite material after molding is encased in a container made of plastic, concrete and metal.
6. The composite material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said composite material after molding is heated to 150 degree C for 10 min.
7. A method for producing a composite material from waste material comprising the steps of:
a. preparing of polystyrene gel as binder by dissolving polystyrene/ polystyrene waste in a solvent selected from petrol, diesel, acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene and the like;
b. introducing shredded plastic waste / thermoplastic material / laminated paper into the said polystyrene gel;
c. mixing the above materials in a way that the materials are comminuted so that after mixing a malleable base mass is obtained; and
d. transferring the above said base mass into a mold for shaping and pressing the said base mass into pre-set mold shape.
8. The method of producing a composite material as claimed in claim 7, wherein the said composite material includes non-biodegradable (NBD) waste materials including paper, plastic, cloth, rubber, leather (natural or synthetic), glued together with a polystyrene glue, and General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS), High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Polystyrene Copolymers, as binder
9. The method of producing a composite material as claimed in claim 7, wherein the said composite material after transferring to a mold is then heated to 150 Degree C for 10 min such a way that the outer surface is melted and smoothened giving more strength to the said composite material.
10. The method of producing a composite material as claimed in claim 7, wherein said composite material after molding is encased in a container made of plastic, concrete and metal.

(SOUMAH MITRA)
For Applicant