PET | TECHNOLOGY
data of the equipment in real time, automatically generating a report. A BoReTech customer in Vietnam purchased its
new PET bottle recycling line with the latest genera- tion ES Process technology. The client achieved an annual production capacity of 20,000 tonnes, generating flakes with significantly improved quality, which the client attributed to the intensive washing provided by the ES Process. The Vietnam- ese company will put the PET flakes into a food- grade pelletising line for use in its own beverage packaging factory. Erema has extended its Vacunite line of bottle-
to-bottle recycling systems with larger 2000 series units, shown at last year’s K Show. The Vacunite system is designed to produce a consistent material in terms of IV value and colour for direct food contact compliance, processing input material with varying moisture, IV values, bulk densities, and flake wall thicknesses. Vacunite unites vacuum and nitrogen technolo- gies to produce clean melt, clean recycled pellets and clean preforms, with a core of the system being a vacuum reactor featuring mixer technology that is integrated with a nitrogen flushing system to decontaminate, pre-dry and IV treat the PET material before it is extruded into pellets. Pre-heat- ing the infeed PET flake to a specific temperature in the vacuum reactor with the application of nitrogen effectively removes moisture and substances that can migrate while preventing hydrolytic and oxidative decomposition of the melt downstream in the extruder. Dehumidification of the PET flake occurs in the reactor with a controlled temperature increase from 20°C to 190°C, which also reduces IV loss. Use of nitrogen in the reactor reduces the residual oxygen content that is responsible for irreversible yellow colouring of the PET, Erema says. The vacuum reactor increases the bulk density
of the flake up to 100% and crystallises the mate- rial, which allows for a constant flow and consistent throughput rates to the extruder. Material dwell time in the extruder and the overall length of the extruder are both reduced due to the effectiveness of the vacuum reactor. The material is filtered and melted in the single-screw extruder then further crystallised during an inline underwater pelletising step. The material is transferred into Erema’s patented V-LeaN vacuum-assisted nitrogen Solid State Polycondensa- tion (SSP) unit that absorbs any remaining contami- nants, glycol, and other by-products as it increases the IV and the viscosity of the PET pellets. Erema added the Vacunite 2321 T-2000 and Vacunite 2621 T-2000 units to its lineup. Both
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models produce pellet forms that are spherical inline and crystallised at a maximum throughput of 2,500 kg/hr. This compares to the Vacunite T-1500 series units that have a maximum throughput of 1,875 kg/hr. At K2022, the first unit was ordered by Sumilon
Eco PET SARL, a Tangier, Morocco-based manufac- turer of rPET resins.
Data capture Optimised production data recording for PET recycling plants is part of a clean-tech software solution for plastics recycling applications devel- oped by GRAFiT, a member of the Starlinger Group. Its new StarLOGGER software “enables easy and uncomplicated long-term production data recording and provides both live and historical data which are available at any time via web browser on a PC, tablet or smartphone and on the HMIs of our new recycling lines,” says Paul Neidl, Commercial Head of Starlinger Recycling Technology. StarLOGGER is designed to boost production
efficiency and reduce waste by allowing for quick problem identification and solving. It enables transparent data recording and analysis to improve decision-making processes and minimise machine downtime. Both real-time and historical data are available for monitoring and analysis, which are displayed on customised dashboards. Reporting functions include reports containing minimum, maximum, and average production output data, as well as export options for detailed data analysis. Data can be backed up to an external USB drive or shared network folder, the company says. The software program offers live image transmis-
sion of the machine display via the customised web interface, enabling direct remote operator support if required. The live transmission “helps the support team to sort out machine problems or production issues remotely, thus shortening machine down-
November/December 2023 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 25
Left: Increasing Intrinsic Viscosity of rPET is a target area of
development for many companies
IMAGE: MESSE DÜSSELDORF, CONSTANZE TILLMANN
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