TECHNOLOGY | POST INDUSTRIAL RECYCLING
Developers work on solutions for process waste
The need to utilise all plastics waste, including material arising at primary processing plants, has led to development of new technologies. By Mikell Knights
Main image: New technolo- gies make it easier to recycle
post-industrial plastics
The latest equipment developments for post-indus- trial plastics recycling focus on the continued emergence of integrated shredder and granulation technologies capable of processing a wider range of plastic waste, while ensuring effective size reduction, floor space use and energy efficiency while allowing for easier handling and downstream processing.
Extrusion systems have been developed that help generate high-quality recycled materials from in-house recyclate with properties comparable to virgin materials, while customised turnkey systems are being designed that connect the various pieces of equipment into an all-in-one configuration that is flexible on material type and handles larger volumes of waste. Overall, these machinery and process develop-
ments are driving the transition towards a more circular economy, where post-industrial plastic waste is effectively and sustainably recycled, reducing the reliance on virgin materials, and minimising environmental impact.
50 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | May/June 2023
Injection moulding machinery maker Engel has developed a two-stage process that makes it possible to process post-industrial or post-consum- er plastic waste as flakes in an injection moulding process directly after grinding. Typically, waste plastics are first ground, then
after sorting and cleaning, are compounded , filtered, and pelletised, and then fed into the injection moulding process as regranulate. This conventional approach means the plastic has to be melted twice, the first time when the recycled material is pelletised in an energy-intensive step which typically also involves logistics overhead, and a second time for injection moulding into the part. The need for the pelletising step is removed completely in the two-stage process. Based on calculations by Engel, the energy required for manufacturing the product with its new two-stage process is reduced by 30% and the CO2 footprint is significantly improved compared to processing regranulate. The Engel process separates plasticising and
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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