SUSTAINABILITY | ADDITIVES FOR RECYCLING
Alternative options An alternative way to sort recyclate is to embed a tracer into polymers that can later be detected in a recyclate sorting facility. Polysecure, for example, uses fluorescent markers and a specially-designed machine for tracer-based sorting. Fluorescent marking is also used in Nextek’s
NextLoopp system, which aims to produce food- grade recycled PP from post-consumer packaging using markers in labels to improve sorting. The PRISM [Plastic Packaging Recycling using Intelli- gent Separation technologies for Materials] technology employs a high-speed sorting system with UV light source to read the printed code. The “Holy Grail” project, a collaborative venture
Above: Innovations in sorting technology from Polysecure, Nextek and Digimarc aim to use markers or machine-readable labels to enable higher quality recyclate
HDPE using automated near infrared (NIR) detec- tors. In the past, MRFs had difficulty sorting out PET and HDPE containing carbon black as it prevented NIR identification; now a range of new, black and dark coloured pigments that are transparent to NIR allow these containers to be recycled using existing NIR optical sorters. A recent masterbatch line from Ampacet, called
Silky Bliss because it provides a delustering effect, includes both darker and lighter colours that are transparent to NIR. Ampacet has also launched its AfterLife line of recycle-friendly colour master- batches with a range of dark shades, including purple and dark blue, that are also NIR transparent. Its NIR-transparent black masterbatches — Rec-NIR- Black 1900302-EA and 4900147-E for rigid polyolefins — recently received the French COTREP certification for use in PP and HDPE. The company has also successfully completed third-party testing in the US with several grades of Rec-NIR Black using APR’s standards. “We are aware of the pain points of our custom-
ers, and we’re offering solutions to make recycling more viable for them,” says Becker, who says sorting is just one issue they face. “Mechanical recy- cling compromises properties, can cause off odour, and causes optical issues, such as visible contami- nants, haze, yellowing, and colour variation.” In addition to odour scavenging masterbatches
and off-the-shelf colour-correcting masterbatches for post-consumer recycling (such as the compa- ny’s masterbatches for green or blue-tinted PET), Becker says Ampacet offers colour-correcting masterbatches customised for each batch of PCR so companies can retain the colour integrity of their brand in formulations with PCR.
46 COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2020
promoted by P&G and supported by the European brands association AIM, use a digital marking technology from Digimarc to allow individual items of packaging to be identified and sorted by high speed vision cameras. The latest version of the technology was demonstrated last year by sorting technology specialist Tomra at its recycling plant at Mülheim-Kärlich in Germany. The intention is now to move to an industrial pilot to prove the viability and business case for digital watermarking as a tool for larger scale sorting of packaging for higher-quality recycling. In February 2020, BASF expanded its reciChain
pilot project that uses blockchain technology and a digital tracer embedded in the polymer to track recycled material through the value chain. The pilot began in Brazil, and was expanded to British Columbia, Canada.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.wrap.org.uk/content/the-uk-plastics-pact �
www.usplasticspact.org/ �
www.avient.com �
www.sukano.com �
www.addisperse.com �
www.riverdaleglobal.com �
www.britecsolutions.com �
www.voelpker.com �
www.milliken.com �
www.struktol.com �
www.ampacet.com �
www.kraton.com �
www.4kenrich.com �
www.polysecure.eu �
www.nextek.org �
www.digimarc.com �
www.tomra.com �
www.basf.com
David Eldridge contributed to this article
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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