ArticlebyZaneDalton

Throwinggarbageintolandfillsisahugeproblem.Recyclingplantsmanagethisbuttheyarenot
enoughtodealwiththeentireproblem.Thispaperintroducesnewtechnologytohelpdealwiththis
problem.TheAtHomePlasticRecyclingPlant(AHPRP)isanewandinnovativeapproachtothe
technologyofrecycling.TheAHPRPtakesplasticrecyclableproductssuchasplasticbottlesor
disposableplasticcups,andconvertsthemintosomethingnew,selectablebytheconsumer.TheAHPRP
usesfourmaincurrenttechnologiestorecycleplasticproducts.Thegrindertechnologyturnswholepieces
ofplasticintoshreddedparticles,acorrosiveacidcleanstheplastic,andameltingmachineconvertsthe
remainsintoliquidplastic.
Certaintypesofacidscanremovelabelsfromwaterbottlesandotherrecyclableplasticitems.
Stickersandlabelsmustberemovedsotheydonotcontaminatethefinishedplasticitem.TheAHPRP
usescorrosivecausticsoda,alsoknownassodiumhydroxide,toremovethelabelsontheplasticsit
consumes.Sodiumhydroxideisusedinseveralrecyclingplantstoday.Onechallengeassociatedwiththe
useofthistechnologyisthatinordertomaketheacidsuitableforhomeuse,thechambermustbe
wellconcealedandthoroughlysealedtoavoidcontactwithhumanskin.Sodiumhydroxidecanbe
hazardoustohumantouchandwhenincontactcandamageskincells.
TheAHPRPusesatypeofgrinderdifferentfromthatofcurrentrecyclingplants,forgrindingup
plasticsothatitcanbeeasilyreused.TheAtHomePlasticRecyclingPlanthasadoptedaspecialtypeof
plasticgrindertocrushandgrindtheplasticintosmallenoughpiecestomelt.Thegrinderapplies
immenseforceandpressureontotheplastic,enablingittogrindtheplasticwithease.Itismuchmore
compactthananythinginuseinrecyclingplantstoday,makingitidealforasmallathomesystemlike
theAHPRP.ThegrinderusedfortheAHPRPisnotpowerfultogrindrecyclablemetal,sooursystemis
limitedtoonlyplasticrecycling.Thislimitationiscausedonlybythegrinder,butthemeltingchamber
describedlatercouldmeltsometypesofmetals.

TheAHPRPsmeltingchamberisanotherkeycomponenttoitsathomeformat.Themeltingpot
usedwillbeverysimilartoamuchlargerversionoftheLeeLeadProductionPot20lb.Capacity.The
purposeofthischamberistomeltthesmallpiecesofplasticandpourthemintoamoldtocreatea
finishedproduct.Themeltingchambertechnologyisverydifferentfromthedryingchamberintheway
thatitinflictsheat.Themeltingchamberresemblesapotratherthananovenandusesatemperaturecoil
toheattheplastic.
Thesetechnologieswhencombinedwithseveralotherfuturetechnologiescreateaninnovative
alternatesolutiontotheindustrialplasticrecyclingprocess.TheAHPRPhasthepotentialtoultimately
keeptonsofplasticoutoflandfillsinthefuturebygivingpeopleaconvenientandusefulsystemto
recycleathome.
ThePlasticRecyclingprocesshasgreatlyimprovedsinceitsinceptionin1972.Currently
curbsiderecyclingprogramsexistonnearlyeveryblockthroughoutthecountry.Thefirstrecyclingmill
specificallyforthereuseofplasticswasconstructedinConshohocken,Pennsylvaniain1972.It
encouraged,promoted,andenforcedtheideaoftakingrecyclableplasticitemsandturningtheminto
somethingnew.Itledtheplasticrecyclingindustriesbeginningandbecameanimportantsteptocreating
todaysmodernrecyclingeconomy.Inthesameyear,thefirstbottlebillactwaspassedinOregon,giving
peopleanincentivetorecyclebyputtingastampformoneyoneverybottle.Eachstampedbottlewas
redeemablebygivingtheemptybottlesbacktothestorestoberecycledtomakemorebottles.
Manydifferenttypesandvariationsofshredders,graters,chippers,andgrinderswithacommon
useforreducingthesizeofparticlesexisttoday.Thecheesegraterwasoneofthefirsttypestobethought
up.InventedbyfrenchmanFranoisBoullier,thecheesegraterwascreatedinthe1540s.In1884,Peter
JensenofMaasbll,Germanyinventedthefirstwoodchipper.Earlyshreddersweremostlybuiltfor
shreddingpaper.ThefirstpapershredderwasinventedbyaninventornamedAbbotAugustusLow,who
filedhispatentforawastepaperreceptaclein
February2,1909
.ArchitectJohnW.HammesofRacine,

Wisconsininventedthefirstgarbagedisposalin1927.Helaterissuedapatentforhiscreationin1935
whichhehadappliedforin1933.Manyshreddershadtobehandoperated.TheStarmixwastheofthe
firstelectricfoodprocessors,createdbyElectrostarin1946inGermany.
SodiumHydroxidewasfirstdiscoveredin1807byanEnglishmannamedHumphryDavy.Since
thattimeithasbeencommonlyusedforchemicalandscientificpurposesinthescienceindustry.Itisalso
usedinmanydraincleaners,suchasDrano,inadditiontosometypesofsoap.Itisknownaswhatis
calledafixesalkali,orfixesbase.SodiumHydroxideisknowntobeusedinsomecurrentrecycling
plantstocleanoffthelabelsonitsplasticrecyclables.
In1917theBureauofStandardsfortheNationalAdvisoryCommitteeforAeronautics(NACA)
performedthefirstvacuumchambertestingexperiments.Ayearlaterin1917,the
U.S.Schoolof
AviationMedicinecreatedanaltitudetank.Throughoutthenextseveraldecades,allthroughout1969,the
NACAcontinuedtodevelopandtestvacuumchambertechnologyforaerospaceengineeringuses,with
experimentsandeventsin1917,1918,1933,1938,1944,1947,1952,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,
1965,and1969,includingthegoddardspaceenvironmentsimulator(1962),TheMITWrightbrothers
windtunnel(1938),The25footspaceenvironmentatJPL(1962),andmore.Avacuumchamberisa
sealedoffcompartmentthatremovesairandothervaporsviatheuseofavacuumpump.
TheAHPRPusesameltingtechnologytomeltalloftheplasticsthrownintoitwithappliedheat.
Thistechnologyoriginatedin1924whenMauriceL.Warnerpatentedtheelectricgriddle.Theyare
composedofaplatematerialthinnerthanthatofanaveragegasgriddletotransfertheheatfromthe
bottommountedelementstothesurfacetheconsumercookson.Mostgriddlesproduce45kilowattsof
electricityperlinearfoot.Theyaretypicallymadefromroundrodsheathedincoloypieces.Thefirst
griddlesweremadefrombrick,stone,orclayslabs.Newergriddlesuseatechnologiessimilartothe
electricgriddlefeaturedinU.S.patent
D590205S1.Itwas
filedforapatent12312007byCalphalon
Corp.,andissued04142009.Itismadeofcastiron.

Everwonderifyoucouldchangetheworld?Everdreamthatyouwantedtocreatesomething
straightoutofyourimagination?ThisisthehomeoftheAtHomePlasticRecyclingPlant,orAHPRP,
thelatestininnovationsintechnology.OurproducttakesPlasticRecyclableproductssuchasplastic
bottlesordisposableplasticcups,andturnsthemintosomethingnew,whateveryouwant,byputtinga
moldofwhateveryouwanttomakeintothepotunderthemeltingchamberofourproduct.Millionsof
plasticrecyclablesgointolandfillseachyear.Thisisamajorproblem.So,whatisbeingdonetostopit?
Ourproductisdedicatedtomakinguseofplasticrecyclablesandnot

justtossingthemintolandfills.Our
productdoesthis:whenyoutossaplasticitemofsomesortintoourproductsbin,theitemwillgo
throughseveralsets,orstages,withinourproductinordertoultimatelyendupastheplasticproductyou
wanttomake.
OnceyouhavetossedarecyclableplasticitemintotheAHPRP,Thefirststageistheshredder,
alsoknownastheshreddingchamber.Itmincesalloftheplasticupintosmallflakesthataresimplerto
meltthanwholeplasticpiecessuchasanentirebottleorawholemilkcarton.Itwillshredanyformof
plasticknowntoman,IncludingPETE,PVC,HDPE,andseveralothers.Itisanextremelypowerful
hydraulicgrinderthatwehavemodifiedtoworkelectricallyratherthanhumanlyoperated.
Next,thoseplasticflakesareemptiedoutintotheacidandwaterwashchamber.Itfirstspraysthe
plasticrecyclablesyouthrewintoitwithadoseofcorrosivecausticsoda,orsodiumhydroxide,typeof
acidthatisjuststrongenoughtoremovetheexcesslabelsandstickers,butnotpowerfulenoughto
damagetheplasticrecyclables.Itletstheplasticsitinthecorrosivebathforfiveminutesbeforedraining
outtheacidtobereusedagain.Thenitdrenchesthosesameitemswithwaterforpreciselytwominutesto
rinseoutalloftheacidanddrainsitoutforreuse.
Thenextstageisthedryer,ordryingchamber,whichdriesoffanyexcesswateronthebottles
fromthewaterwash.Itusesavacuumchambertodryoffeventhesmallestdropsofwater,onlyleaving
thepureplasticitself.Itliterallyremovesallofthestowawaygasesintheplasticstofurtherprepareitto

bemelted.Alloftheexcesswaterfoundintherecyclablesemptiesoutintothewatertanktobeusedin
thewaterwashcomponentoftheacidandwaterwashchamber.Clever,isntit?
Afterthat,Theygointotheatomicmolecularstructuresorter,whichidentifiesthetypeofplastic
andsortsthemintotheirprimarycategories.Itspurposeistoidentifywhattypeofplasticyoupoured
intoit,suchasPETE,HDPE,PVC,etc.andsortthembasedonthatfactor.
Thencomesthecolorsortingchamber,whichidentifieswhichgenericcolortheycanbe
categorizedintowithintheseveraltypesofplasticusingcolorsensorstosortoutthecolorsoftheplastic
(red,blue,green,yellow,brown,black,white/clear,etc.)intotheirsecondarycategoriesandlandinpots.
Afterwords,theremainingparticlesaremeltedandpouredintopots,whichthenarecooledbythe
airintothemoldsinsideofthepots,andtransformedintowhateveryouputintothepotasamold,From
theacidwash,tothewaterwash,tothedryingchamberandsoforth,ultimatelyendingupaswhatever
you,theconsumer,wantedtomake.
Ourinventionusesdifferent,simplertouseshredders,grinders,andacidspluscolorandatomic
structuresortersthatsortbasedonthecolorandchemicalcompositionoftheplasticforyouratherthan
usingtimeconsuminghumanlabortosortthemonalong,costful,spacewastingconveyorbelt,whenour
designissomuchmorecompact,anddoesthesamethingasafullblown,hugerecyclingplantbutbetter,
andtheprocessismuchlesscomplicatedandcostssomuchless.Ourinventionisveryefficientbecause
themajorityofrecyclingplantscausesomeformpollution.Butthatsnoteventhebestpart:weguarantee
thatourproductdoesnotcauseanypollution

or

smokeoranythingthatcanorcouldpossiblyharmthe
environmentortheworldaroundus.Whenyouthrowplasticinthetrashitgoesintolandfillsendsup
undergroundandcausespollution.Whenitgoesintotherecycling,somucheffortandsomuchmoney
hastobeputintotheuseoftheirrecyclingplants.Ourproductturnsalloftheplasticfoundgoingthrough
recyclingplantsintoverysmallscrapsandthenintoliquidandfinallybackintoplasticproductslikecups,

bottlesandtoysinacompactsizeinonlyamatterofminutes.Ourproductcouldwillimprovetheplastic
recyclingprocessdramatically.Wearesolelyfocusedonhelpingouttheenvironmentwelivein.
Wearethefuture.Weinnovate,createandimproveeveryday.ZaneDalton
Sooneday,Iwasatarestaurant,thinkingaboutwhatIshouldcomeupwithformyGTResearch
projectwhenIlookupandseeasadcommercialabouthowmuchplasticisthrownintolandfillsandthe
seaeachyear.SoIthought,maybeIcoulddoaprojectthatwouldbenefittheenvironmentandkeep
plasticthatcouldberecycledoutoflandfillsandmakeitsothatthesebottlescouldnotharmthecreatures
livinginthesea.SoIcameupwiththeideaforthe
AHPRP
,or
A
t
H
ome
P
lastic
R
ecycling
P
lant,an
automatedmachinethatgoesthroughacomplexprocesstoturnrecyclableplasticproductsinsertedintoit
intoaplasticproductoftheconsumerschoice,whetheracuporacellphonecase.Idrewasmallsketch
ononeofthenapkinsthatcamewithmymeal,andIshowedittomyparents.Theygavemesomeinput,
andsaiditwasagoodideaoverall.

IinitiallydecidedfortheAHPRPtomelttheplasticwithfire.

Idecidedthiswouldcausemoreharmthangoodfortheenvironment,anddecidedtomelt
theplasticwithmicrowavesinstead.

ThenwhenItoldmyparents,theysaidthatthiswouldwastealotofenergyandnotmelt
theplasticveryefficiently.

Sothen,Ifinallydecidedtouseasortofelectricskillettechnology.Itusesappliedheat
toasheetofheatconductivemetaltotransfertheheatandmelttheplastictobepoured
intothemold.

IwasoriginallyhypotheticallygoingtohavetheAHPRPuseamechanicalairdryer.This
usesareversevacuumforcetodrytheobjectwithblowingair.

ThenIfoundthatavacuumdryercanbeusedtodryplasticsmoreefficiently.Vacuum
Dryerssuckoutallremaininggasesconcealedinsideanobject,soratherthanblowingair
likeanaveragedryer,vacuumdryersactuallysucktheairandgasesup,buttheyserve
thesamepurposeoverall.

Atomicstructureanalysistechnologyisfairlynewtotheworld.Thismeansthatissstillbeing
developedandmaytakeseveralyearsbeforeitcanbecapableoftheuseweintendedforscanning
plasticsandsortingthemlikewise.WeplanonusingOhioStateUniversitysAtomicStructureAnalysis
Toolkit,whichusesMATLABbasedvoronoitessellationsoftwaretechnology.
Sizewilldefinitelyrequireabreakthrough,sinceeventhesmallversionoftheAHPRPisfairly
large,beingaboutthesizeoftwogarbagecansstackedontopofeachothervertically.Withthatsize,the
AHPRPisnotaveryportableinvention.
Weightisoneoftheseveralthingsthatwouldrequireabreakthrough,sincethegrinderand
vacuumchamberweighsomuchandaresomassive.Thismeansitwouldbeveryhardtoshipifthe
AHPRPwentintomassproduction.Itwouldrequirespecialaccommodationstobeshipped,especiallyin
bulkoralargequantity.Also,sincetheacidchambermustbesafelyenclosedfromhumancontact,we
havesealedthischamberwithatypeofdurablematerialsimilartothematerialsusedinfiresafes.The
problemwiththisisthatthesematerialsaddextraweight,makingtheAHPRPevenmoreheavyand
immobile.Onewaythatwecouldsolvethisproblemisbychoosinglighteracidresistantmaterialsthat
canholdthesodiumhydroxidebackwithoutmakinganissueoutoftheweightoftheAHPRP,suchas
nickelortitanium.
Hopefully,iftheAHPRPtheoreticallyserveditspurposewell,itwillgivepeopleanincentiveto
recyclebymakingtheprocessofrecyclingmoreconvenientandbeneficialtotheuser.TheAHPRPwill
bemuchlesscostlythananentirerecyclingplant.Itwillalsobemoreadvancedthanrecyclingplants

today,withitscolorandatomicstructuresortingtechnology.TheAHPRPiscapableofspeedsbeyond
reachofnearlyany3dprinterorcurrentrecyclingplant.Themainconcernofoursisthesizeofthe
AHPRP,sincethemassiveamountoftechnologyconcealedinsideitmakestheAHPRParoundthesizeof
astandardcurbsiderecyclingbin.Also,theAHPRPmustconsumealotofpowertofunctionproperly.