Paperboard Chemical Migration Testing Standards and Simulant Selections
Paperboard chemical migration testing requires matching food simulants to substrate porosity, using Tenax for dry media and certified barrier qualification.
Polyal
Composite Stream
Secondary raw materials derived from the non-fiber fraction of aseptic liquid packaging cartons consist of fused polymer layers and aluminum foil. Processing plants separate polyal during hydro-pulping operations where paperboard fibers are recovered for re-pulping while the plastic and foil matrix remains intact. The remaining mix contains low-density polyethylene film and thin aluminum foil particles.
Specialized recycling facilities dry, clean, and extrude this composite material into durable industrial products.
Separation Processing
Hydro-pulpers isolate wood fibers from composite liquid packaging by applying mechanical shear in aqueous suspension, leaving the plastic and aluminum composite intact. Screen plates filter out recovered cellulose fibers, leaving coarse polyal residual streams containing roughly seventy-five percent polyethylene and twenty-five percent aluminum by weight. Extrusion processing converts these residuals into composite pellets suitable for injection molding and profile extrusion operations.
Thermal pressing forms flat panels used in construction board, roof tiles, and outdoor furniture manufacturing. Alternatively, pyrolytic gasification processes heat the composite stream in oxygen-depleted atmospheres, cracking polymers into synthetic liquid fuels while recovering clean metallic aluminum ingots. Efficient collection systems and dedicated recycling plants determine the economic viability of recovering non-fiber fractions from liquid packaging waste.
Fiber contamination inside the composite stream reduces melt flow consistency, requiring mechanical washing steps before thermal reprocessing.
Material Recovery
Material purity controls downstream application possibilities for recovered polymer and metal blends. Residual paper fibers cause carbonization spots and structural weakness in molded plastic goods. Processors maintain strict filtration during extrusion to remove non-meltable contaminants and unseparated paper debris.