MACHINERY | TECHNOLOGY


tamination technologies at specific points in the process chain. It is their optimal interplay that makes the achievement of the necessary level of decontamination possible.” In May, BlueAlp, a chemical recycling company in the Netherlands, announced a partnership with KraussMaffei Extrusion focusing on its ZE BluePower technology. Co-rotating twin-screw extruders designed for demanding recycling applications and high energy efficiency were installed at the BlueAlp plant in Italy, as well as at its plant in Oostende, Belgium. The extruder ensures efficient, stable, and reliable conditioning of materials, claims that have been supported through testing at the KraussMaffei Technology Centre in Laatzen, Germany. “The BlueAlp project is a prime example of how


our extrusion technology can make a decisive contribution to scaling up chemical recycling processes,” said Ralf Benack, Managing Director of KraussMaffei Extrusion. Together with KraussMaffei, BASF, Rampf, and


Remondis, have developed an industrial polyure- thane recycling process which enables chemical recovery even with heavily contaminated regrind. Until now, PU foam from old refrigerators has often been incinerated, but it is likely that the thermal recycling of plastics will be more restricted in the future. KraussMaffei is therefore in the process of industrialising a process for the continuous chemical recycling of PU. This continuous extrusion method can efficiently handle PU regrind with contamination levels of up to 30%. In order to achieve depolymerisation using a glycolysis process modified by Rampf, the PU regrind is mixed with depolymerisation agents and other additives in the extruder. The result is an intermediate product from which a high proportion of foreign substances can be filtered out directly in-line. The polyol with recycled content obtained in the process can be used by BASF as a component of PU systems for the production of rigid foams.


New feeder At the Fakuma exhibition in October, KraussMaffei presented the new ZSA UltraCycle, a side-feed system for twin-screw extruders developed specifically for recycling. It features integrated compaction which allows multiple process steps to be combined. The ZSA UltraCycle is specifically designed for


fluffy recycled materials that pose challenges for conventional feeding systems due to their low bulk density of 10 kg/m³ or more and their high volume. These include, for example, thin-walled flakes, film


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


The new ZSA UltraCycle side feeder from KraussMaffei Extrusion is specifically designed for fluffy recycled materials that pose challenges for conventional feeding systems


scraps, or plastic fibres from consumer waste, as well as fibres from textile recycling. Typical materi- als include PET, LDPE, and PP flakes, as well as fibres and fabrics made of PA and polyester. The side-feeding system features two screws, designed to ensure efficient compaction of the mate- rial. This allows large quantities of light recycled materials with a low bulk density to be reliably conveyed into the feed zone of KraussMaffei Extrusion’s ZE BluePower twin-screw extruder without compromising gravimetric dosing accuracy. The result is consistent throughput, high recipe accuracy, and stable process control, said the company. In trials conducted at the KraussMaffei Extrusion


Technology Centre in Laatzen, Germany, ZSA UltraCycle was operated at an exemplary through- put of 1,000 kg/h, which leads to potential electric- ity savings of up to 400,000 kWh annually, accord- ing to the company.


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.nordson.com � www.fimic.it � www.erema.com � https://syklo.com � https://extruders.leistritz.com � https://ngr-world.com � www.kurucsaiplastic.hu � www.gneuss.com � www.unipack.cz � https://novatex.com � www.starlinger.com � www.coperion.com � www.bluealp.nl � www.kraussmaffei.com � www.basf.com � www.rampf-group.com � www.remondis.com


October 2026 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 15


IMAGE: KRAUSSMAFFEI


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