PET RECYCLING | TECHNOLOGY
Polyester and polyester-blend waste is the target for recycling technology and research groups working with customers in the fibres and textiles industry. By Mikell Knights
Finding fibre and textile recycling solutions
Polyester waste from the production and use of fibres and textiles could be a rich source of material for recyclers already involved in PET packaging recycling. But there are challenges. PET fibres in multi-material compositions, high contamination levels and low quality are some of the issues that machinery companies and collaborative projects are dealing with in their development work. Recycling and compounding technology company Gneuss said that PET fibre waste is notoriously difficult to recycle. One problem is the very low bulk density of the waste, often less than 100 g/l, which makes it difficult to feed into the extruder. Other difficulties are the high residual moisture content, and that post-industrial fibre waste is coated with spin finish oils that improve the handling of the fibres during manufacturing. At the same time, the recycling of PET bottle
flakes is now state of the art, allowing direct production of staple fibre, carpet fibre or POY/DTY, said Gneuss. However, there is strong competition for rPET bottle flakes from bottle makers looking to
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ensure their feedstock supplies. One solution to obtaining recycled PET materials is to develop a technology solution to process fibres. Gneuss has launched its OMNImax recycling system which it describes as a complete, compact recycling solution for processing waste PET fibres. It consists of a combination of existing Gneuss products and technologies that is optimised for a specific end application. The OMNImax system consists of a 3C rotary feeder which cuts and compacts the material, a multi-rotation MRS extruder with an extended multi-screw section, as well as a specially optimised vacuum system, a fully automat- ed RSFgenius melt filtration system (also see Melt Filtration feature) and an online VIS viscometer. Gneuss said the 3C rotary feeder allows low density materials to be processed without the need for external processing. A conveyor belt feeds shredded regrind into the hopper where a fast- rotating disc with knives cuts, compacts and preconditions the material. The knives also impart energy to the material which starts the heating and
Main image: Starlinger Recycling Technology’s Active shred- der being used with polyester fibre waste
March/April 2024 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 13
IMAGE: STARLINGER
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