Converting Commentary
Casting a new light on Polypropylene T
By Professor Edward Kosior of NEXTEK
he on-going debate around the use of plastic to protect fresh produce is just one example of the fine balancing act
we all have to contribute to if we are to create a sustainable circular economy. Extending food shelf-life, which is what
plastic packaging can do, reduces food spoilage and waste. The very fact that polymers such as Polypropylene (PP) are being used to encase our yoghurts, soups and ice creams and wrap many of our fruits and vegetables, has a huge impact on food storage. But what of the actual plastic? Is the balancing act working? Up until now, sadly, the answer is no. In the UK alone about 300,000tpa of PP is
used in packaging of which about 70% (210,000tpa) is food-grade packaging. Currently PP makes up 20% of global plastics production, a figure that is growing at 6%. In 2018 56 million metric tons were produced valued at USD$ 97 billion and it has been estimated that by 2025 we will be producing 83 million metric tons worth USD$ 147 billion.
THE MISSING POLYMER The issue is that PP has been missing from the recycling streams and the reason for this is its versatility. PP is everywhere from the ubiquitous tubs and pots that contain our take away foods, soups and ice creams to the trays that house our meats and fish and the films that wrap our fruits and vegetables. Unlike PET and HDPE, that are widely used in beverages, PP’s prolific nature defines it as difficult to recycle. As a consequence, to date, there is no
food-grade recycled PP available for re- use into new packaging, and we have reached a tipping point where some countries are even considering delisting it as recyclable.
TAKING THE LONG VIEW If we take a step back, however, and consider the bigger picture, we will see that banning PP is shortsighted, instead we need to turn it into the fantastic polymer resource it has the potential to be. The fact that it is currently either going
to landfill or being re-used where other lesser polymers would suffice is where we need to focus. It is a waste of precious resources to produce virgin PP when we have the wherewithal to efficiently identify, sort, decontaminate and recycle the current pots, trays and tubs that are being produced. And this is where we come in. As a specialist in plastics recycling, one of the most pressing enquiries I regularly receive
28 September 2020
from retailers and brand owners alike relates to unlocking the value in PP and turning it into high quality food-grade rPP. This has been the fundamental driver behind the multi-client NEXTLOOPP project. NEXTLOOPP’s mission is crafted out of
the need to create circular food-grade PP from post-consumer packaging. The goal is to establish a supply chain model for the collection, sorting and re-processing of food-grade PP packaging. From there we aim to efficiently manufacture high-quality and food-grade PP. Over the next 24 months we will shift
from pilot to large scale operations to eventually create rPP that can be used across a wide range of applications and products to meet recycled packaging targets.
TRANSFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES As previously mentioned the innovative technologies required to decontaminate and sort are plug & play ready. In fact the
sorting technology alone is poised to transform the way recycling is managed as it has the potential to identify and sort all waste rapidly and efficiently and at very high purity. The PRISM marker based sorting technology has been proven at full speed even on very soiled and damaged packaging, furthermore the PRISM technology has been designed to be readily implemented in most recycling plants. We have also developed powerful
decontamination technologies with which we aim to re-define what is possible through reuse and recycling of PP including the development of a grade suited to the cosmetics market.
MECHANICAL VERSUS CHEMICAL We now have the opportunity to transform the existing recycling and decontamination processes to boost economic efficiency and reduce cost, and mechanical recycling makes perfect sense to achieve this. The ongoing debate around
mechanical versus chemical recycling has divided many, however, chemical recycling has a higher carbon footprint than mechanical recycling and certainly requires more intensive capital per plant. Furthermore we are still some years away before any large scale plants are in operation and we need immediate, functional solutions. Mechanical recycling is the perfect low-
cost, highly efficient solution particularly when we are using high quality feedstock and can be built in virtually every country.
CLOSING THE LOOP The next key steps towards producing food-grade rPP for re-use in consumer products are the establishment of EFSA and USFDA certification for the manufacturing processes. NEXTLOOPP aims to develop new guidelines for food- grade recycling for brand owners, retailers and converters. There will be no middle measures to ensure that the loop for PP gets better with future cycles. Creating and then closing the loop on
food-grade PP has taken 8 years of intense research and commercial trials - now we are poised to finally unlock the value of one of the most versatile polymers yet, and in so doing make a sizeable impact on taming plastic production for generations to come.
unextek.org unextloopp.com
convertermag.com
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