Separation of PET and PVC by Flotation Technique Without Using Alkaline Treatment

PET and PVC cannot be separated by gravity separation techniques due to their close density. For this reason, plastic recycling needs other separation techniques. Froth flotation, which is used in mineral processing, could be useful because of its low cost and simplicity. The main objective of this research is to investigate the flotation characteristic of PET and PVC and determine the effects of plasticizers on plastic separation without any alkali pre-treatment. In selective flotation experiments, water bottles and waste water pipes were used for this purpose, and Triton XL-100N and diethylene glycol dibenzoate were used as plasticizers. Various parameters such as pH, plasticizer concentration, conditioning time, and flotation time were investigated. According to the results, PET particles were floated with 100% purity, and the product remaining in flotation cell (PVC particles) was obtained with 86.1% purity.