GRANULATORS | TECHNOLOGY
Granulators: Cutting energy as well as plastics
The need for energy-efficient equipment in a plastics recycling operation has never been greater. Suppliers of granulation technology are prioritising the issue in new developments, writes Peter Mapleston
The energy emergency brought on by Russia’s inva- sion of Ukraine will leave few unaffected. Manufac- turers are reducing or closing operations because they cannot pay gas or electricity bills. In recent weeks, plastics recycling operations around the world have shut. At the beginning of September, Assorimap, the association representing recycling companies in Italy, for example, said that around 40% of plastics recycling companies in the country had suspended at least a part of their activities since June. Energy saving aspects have been key features of plastics processing equipment developments for many years, but never before have they been so important. Indeed, as one important machinery maker notes, “Considering that high capacity recycling systems have very high installed power, the optimisation of energy utilisation becomes key.” The argument is just as applicable to granulat- ing equipment as it is to any other power user. How can technology providers ease the pain? CMG points to one of its recycling customers,
Rigenera, operating in Terni, Italy. Rigenera has been operating in the rigid plastic recycling sector for over 20 years, and has been collaborating with CMG since 2018, when CMG launched the new range of highly energy efficient recycling granula- tors, the Evoluzione series (called the Evolution in some markets). The first model to be installed was an EV 616 granulator, with capacity of 3,500 kg/h. Rigenera’s need was to produce high quality, non-dusty regrind with high dimensional homoge- neity and in large quantities, says Giorgio Santella, Managing Director at CMG. A second, larger, unit, an EV 916 with a capacity
of 5,000 kg/h, was added two years ago. It was equipped with CMG’s Adaptive Motor Power (AMP) control, which allows self-adaptation of the operating conditions of the granulator according to
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the workload. Santella says the AMP helps mini- mise the need for maintenance and optimises electricity consumption. Earlier this year, Rigenera added a second EV 616. All CMG units for recycling applications now
feature the AMP function, which Santella says is unique in the size reduction industry. “The granula- tor is able to autonomously establish which power level to adopt to carry out its work, according to quantity of material to be ground, shape, weight, thickness, type of plastic, and temperature of the piece,” he says. “The AMP allows to optimise the quality of the regrind material to the maximum (dimensional and physical homogeneity of the regrind particle and absence of dust) and minimise the use of electricity.” A CMG granulator consumes 20-25 Wh/kg of material processed, which Santella
Main image: An EV 916 granulator, from CMG’s Evoluzione range, shown configured for a PET bottle washing line with a capacity of 3,500 kg/h
September 2022 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 45
IMAGE: CMG
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