TECHNOLOGY | POST-INDUSTRIAL RECYCLING


improving the company’s overall profitability. Syncro equipment featured on the blown film line include: three Easybatch S4 units, which ensure accurate dosing of ingredients during the produc- tion process; a Typhoon3 Y1 single-boiler cooling ring with automatic thickness adjustment, equipped with 36 motors and an insert suitable for the 180 mm extrusion die, which provides uniform thickness control and bubble stability; and a Skymex unit with capacitive no-contact sensor for precise measure- ment and efficient production management.


IMAGE: POLYSTAR


Above: Polystar


technology is used for recycling


in-house PE/PP packaging film and PP raffia/ woven waste


es to the recycling process. Erema said the Intar- ema TVEplus has been developed especially for this purpose, with triple degassing and melt filtration upstream of extruder degassing. With the products offered by Erema Group’s subsidiary and jointly-owned businesses, it says it maintains a broad portfolio of recycling systems featuring the core technologies needed for a wide range of PIR applications. For example, the Intarema extrusion systems are characterised by a patented preconditioning unit and extruder combination which can be applied flexibly. Erema subsidiary Pure Loop’s integrated shredder-extruder solution (ISEC) is used for bulky and large-volume production waste that needs to be pre-shredded.


Plasmac is a company jointly owned by Erema


Group (60%) and Syncro Group (40%) which produces the Alpha direct extrusion system and Omega shredder-extruder system suited to lower throughput volumes. Typical applications for Plasmac technology include the recycling of clean, unprinted film waste such as edge trim or the processing of roll stock, or loose, large quantities of waste. Each extrusion system can be tailored to the customer’s choice, depending on the type of plastic used, throughput requirements, and on-site logistics. In February, Syncro Group – whose businesses


also produce extrusion automation, quality control systems, material handling, and recycling lines for film converters – said that it had installed a three- layer blown film extrusion plant for an Italian company at its facility in Surabaya, Indonesia which makes personal care and food product flexible packaging. The film line enables the production of shrink film for oil bottle packaging, as well as refill pouches. As part of the project, Syncro integrated a Plasmac Alpha XS regranulation line. This system enables the recycling of production waste and scrap reels up to a maximum of 40 kg/h with minimal energy consumption, reducing waste and


18 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | May/June 2024


Multilayer project Multilayer films are seen as difficult to recycle, but as Erema’s work with Anviplas above demonstrates, there is a growing focus on recycling film laminates in PIR as well as PCR contexts. According to an article in the journal Science Direct, a viable way of recycling multilayer films is deconstructing them via selective dissolution to separate their constitu- ent polymers, a method widely studied and currently being implemented by several companies on varying scales. It has been demonstrated in the Solvent-Targeted Recovery and Precipitation (STRAP) process used to convert a commercially available PIR rigid multilayer film manufactured by Amcor into its three main polymer components with >99 wt% recovery. The film consisted primarily of PE, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and PET with various tie layers including ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). During the process the film is dissolved in two different solvents, each solubilising an indi- vidual polymer, and the resin precipitated with an antisolvent or by cooling the solvent system. Taiwanese recycling machine manufacturer


Polystar is a specialist in working with in-house PIR from PE/PP packaging film and PP raffia/woven. Woven PP feed bags are a common packaging material for animal feed and other agricultural products due to their strong, durable, and light- weight qualities. During the production process, several types of waste are generated caused by manufacturing defects or errors from plastic tape lines, circular looms, and printers. After recycling, these scraps can be reused in the same applications. The company says it designs its machines to be


simple, focusing on balancing stable operation with the individual requirements of the plastic producers, noting that the reusability of recycled pellets has become more important than ever for those who recycle and reprocess their in-house waste. Along with packaging film producers, woven bag producers are also seeking to improve recycling to reduce production costs and recognise production scraps as a valuable source of material.


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42