Diseño y construcción de un prototipo de procesadora de botellas plásticas PET recicladas para la obtención de fibra de poliéster.

Abstract

The present study was carried out in order to make a practical contribution to the reuse of PET plastic bottles, through the development of centrifugal spinning equipment, given that one of the Pet's production lines is textile, we worked on the creation of a prototype for the formation of polyester fibers. Centrifugal spinning is an alternative method to produce fibers from Pet at high speed and low cost, in centrifugal spinning the force generated by the high speed of rotation pushes the fluid through the holes of the rotating head, while the fluid is ejected, it undergoes a stretching process due to the frictional force of the air followed by rapid solidification. The development of the prototype seeks to benefit the different associations of recyclers, individuals, municipalities and companies of the plastic industry of the city of Riobamba, which due to technological limitations at present is only collective. Hence, the construction of the prototype not only reduces sources of pollutants by this material, but also provides socio-economic and ecological benefits to the town. The polyester fibers that were produced are discontinuous, which is bulky in shape used in the filling of quilts or pillows and the manufacture of bedspreads or garments. The fibers produced had fairly uniform diameters of (10-200) µm and smooth surfaces, starting at a processing temperature of 260 ° C and speeds of 2700 rpm. Centrifugal spinning is simple and allows the rapid manufacture of fibers for various applications, this study provides a detailed and technical description of the centrifugal spinning process as a method of fiber production. It is recommended to carry out preventive maintenance according to the prototype maintenance manual, mainly on the moving parts since they are the most critical due to the high speed they are subjected to.