Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Aluminum–Plastic Composites Treated with Alkaline Solution

Abstract

An alternative solution to the problem of aluminum–plastic multilayer waste utilization was suggested. The process can be used for hydrogen generation and layer separation. Three different sorts of aluminum–plastic sandwich materials were treated with an alkali solution. In the temperature range of 50–70 °C, for tablet blisters of polyvinylchloride and aluminum (14.8 wt.%), the latter thoroughly reacted in 15–30 min. For sheets of paper, polyethylene, and aluminum (20 wt.%), full hydrogen ‘recovery’ from reacted aluminum component took 3–8 min. From the lids of polyethylene terephthalate, aluminum (60 wt.%), and painted polyethylene with perforations, the aluminum was consumed after 45–105 min. The effect of perforations was the reduction of the process duration from nearly 90 min for the lids with no perforations to nearly 45 min for the perforated ones (at 70 °C). Perforations provided better contact between the aluminum foil, isolated between the plastic layers, and the alkali solution. Hydrogen bubbles originating near those perforations provided foil separation from the upper painted plastic layer by creating gas gaps between them. The remaining components of the composite multilayer materials were separated and ready for further recycling.