PET | TECHNOLOGY
The Xtender is located directly downstream of
the extruder, and the rPET melt is transported axially through a disc processor consisting of several wedge-shaped discs, where contaminants and unwanted gases are extracted from the polymer by means of a vacuum. The temperature of the melt is regulated by heating elements and a core cooling element, while the setup includes two inline viscometers to detect and control the IV, as well as an adjustable feed for additives to acceler- ate the condensation reaction. MEAF said: “An important distinguishing feature
of the Xtender technology is that the design allows a specific flow rate, due to repeated passages of the melt over the wedge-shaped discs. The melt surface area achieved with the discs is more than 72 times larger than twin-screw extruders, resulting in highly controlled conditions for the polyconden- sation reaction.” D’Hollander spoke about the versatility of the technology. An alternative use to rPET processing is in the recycling of polyolefins. In this application, the attraction of the Xtender is devolatisation and odour reduction, he said. The Xtender is available to customers globally, starting in this quarter.
Food contact Austria-based Starlinger said that in June its RecoStar PET Art process has received a positive ‘scientific opinion’ from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for its PET bottle-to-bottle recycling process. This has been achieved under Regulation EU 2022/1616 which imposes modified and stricter criteria than previous standards. The permissible limits for toluene, chloroben-
zene, and methyl salicylate, for example are 50% lower under EU 2022/16 than the previous stand- ard after decontamination. Starlinger said that its RecoStar Art process “clearly exceeded the required cleaning efficiencies”. A key benefit of passing the new standard with a
scientific opinion is that, once a Recycling Process Authorisation notice is issued, the process devel- oper can directly license it. There is no need for further testing.
Launched in 2022 at the K fair, the RecoStar PET machines use about 25% less energy while throughput is about 15% higher than earlier models. The machines in the range can process between 1,000 kg/hr to 3,200 kg/hr. At its K2025 stand, Starlinger gave a virtual
presentation of the components of a RecoStar Dynamic Art and a RecoStar PET Art recycling system via video animation on screens. This showed the process from material feeding to the extruder, through filtration, degassing, and pelletis- ing to the post-treatment of the recyclate.
Regulations PET bottle industry organisations have been active this year in initiatives to support circularity in their sector. In June, EWPC, EXPRA, EPRO, NWME, Petcore Europe and UNESDA published a compre- hensive guidance document to help waste man- agement operators and sorters to set up third-party certification of quality assurance systems for recycled materials. The EC mandates this in Article 6 of regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic
Above: Starlinger’s RecoStar PET Art recycling technology
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IMAGE: STARLINGER
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