HIDROSILO RECYCLING PROCESS

Taking into account all these factors related to PAN recycling, in the form of textile fibers throughout its chain of use and also in products with the THERMPAN technology, a new chemical recycling process called HIDROSILO was developed. It leads to the production of Superabsorbent Polymers or SAPs for agricultural application, marketed in Brazil under the HIDROSILO brand. An operational pilot plant already exists in operation on the site of the company Radicifibras in Brazil: it’s capable of producing 50 tons/month of SAPs starting from acrylic residues existing at the site, and which were generated by the Crylor division - acquired from Rhodia (Rhône Poulenc).

PAN Chemical Recycling Pilot Plant with production capacity of 50 ton / month of the HIDROSILO Agricultural SAP

HIDROSILO recycling process and HIDROSILO production

In the HIDROSILO process, the PAN polymer is not reused for the production of new fibers, but to produce cross-linked poly (acrylic-co-acrylamide) salts, such as potassium salt, which is used in agriculture and allows a high degree of swelling, greater than 300g of water per gram of polymer. Agricultural SAPs derived from acrylic acid have been used for many years and have been increasing in agriculture due to the need for rational use of water and climatic effects that lead to reduced rainfall in many regions of the planet.

Another by-product of the IGHPAN process in the production of SAP is potassium sulfate or ammonium phosphates which are used as fertilizers in agriculture.

HIDROSILO SAP produced from PAN recycling, has been tested in different plantations for more than 3 years and has already been authorized for sale by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. It has the following characteristics:

HIDROSILO Superabsorbent Polymer

Chemical composition:

Chemical name: Crosslinked Poly (Potassium Acrylate-co-Acrylamide)
Features: granular from yellow to orange
Potassium content: 26% to 28%
Degree of swelling: 300 to 500 g H2O/g
Residual acrylic acid content: < 10 ppm
Soluble fraction content: < 5%
Moisture content: < 8%
pH at a concentration of 1 g/L: 7-9
Soil Degradation: Variable between 2 and 5 years

This HIDROSILO SAP can be applied directly to the soil as if it were a fertilizer or be previously hydrated to form what is called a “hydrogel”. Once formed, the hydrogel can be mixed manually or mechanically in the proportion of 20% with the soil for planting. The SAP will remain in the soil maintaining its swelling capacity for some years, until it is fully biodegraded by the microorganisms and animals present.