As expected, the K 2019 displayed a wide range of machine technology and complete system solutions for plastics recycling. At least since the trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, it has become obvious that industry today can offer solutions for closing the plastic cycle.

The Technology to Close the Plastic Cycle Exists

Sensorik für Kunststoff-Verarbeitungsmaschinen

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

IR-Sensor

Messtechnik

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Mahlgut

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Wiederaufbereitung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Schmelzefilter

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Filteranlagen

Extruder

Extrusionsanlagen

Waschen und Entfetten

Sortierer

Mahlanlagen, fein

Sensoren,  optische

Schneidmühlen

Kunststoff-Recycling

Aufbereitungsmaschinen

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Compoundieren

Mühlen

A Closed Recycling Cycle – Now!

Both the quantity of recycled plastics waste and of processed recyclates is continually increasing. However, there are still difficulties with the quality of the recycled plastics, which are impeding replacement of virgin material. In recent years, machinery manufacturers and plastics producers have introduced various further developments that improve the properties of recyclates as well as eliminate unpleasant odors and contaminants.

Overcoming Difficulties in Plastics Recycling

Streifinger, Florian

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Trockner

Trockner, Granulat-

Additive

Inspektion, Analyse und Sortierung von Rohmaterial

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

The Long Road to a Circular Economy

Smart assistance systems are paving the way for self-optimizing production. Automatic correction of quality-relevant parameters is already reality for individual phases of the injection molding process. At K 2019, Engel presented the iQ weight control with the example of a recyclate application for the first time.

The iQ weight control Assistance System Ensures Higher Process Stability

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Spritzgießen

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Messgeräte für Viskosität

Werkstoffprüfung

Opening up a Broader Range of Applications for Recyclates

Current requirements for product quality and rising demands for sustainable products are dictating ever stricter requirements regarding the quality of recyclates. Further technological developments aimed at material purity and quality are unavoidable.

Expanded Machine Portfolios from Turnkey Solutions to Integrated Systems

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Circular Economy Is the Buzzword  of the Hour

Enhancing mixed bottle flakes by turning them into extrudable recycled crystalline polyethylene terephthalate (rCPET) was the goal of a joint development project looking to close the gap in the PET recycling system. By successfully producing a sheet made from recycled material suitable for high-quality applications such as thermoformed food trays, Gneuss, Sukano and Illig have demonstrated that this approach is indeed possible.

Upcycling of Mixed APET Bottle Flakes into Thermally Stable rCPET Food Trays

Extrusion

Polybutylenterephthalat

Thermoplaste

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Anlagen Lebensmittel

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, andere

Farbstoffe

Flakes

PET: From A to C

The conference „Plastic Recyclates Forum“ will take place digitally on March 9 and 10, 2021. Participants will experience a highly qualified, professional exchange as well as a current knowledge update online.

Weiterbildung, allgemeine

Dienstleistungen

Seminare, Schulungen, Kongresse

Plastic Recyclates Forum 2021

The Alpla Group is investing in an extrusion line for food-grade recycled PET (rPET) from used PET bottles at its Anagni site.15,000 tons of rPET are to be produced annually as a result.

Verpackungsmittel aus Kunststoffen

Polyethylenterephthalat

Verpackungstechnik

Unternehmen

kunststoffe.de

Alpla Expediting a Bottle Cycle in Italy

In this interview with Kunststoffe, Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, explains why he considers fixed recycling quotas to be necessary and why voluntary commitments do not work.

Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, Talks about the Circular Economy

Schröder, Susanne

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

“Unfortunately, the Only Globally Accepted Ideology Is Money”

Milliken & Company has formally acquired Zebra-chem GmbH (“Zebra-chem”), a global chemicals company known for its peroxide and blowing agent masterbatches.

Masterbatches

Kunststoff-Regenerate

Milliken & Company Announces Acquisition of Zebra-chem

Henkel significantly expands partnership with social enterprise Plastic Bank. The partners opened their first three plastic waste collection centers in Cairo

Polyethylen

Kunststoffhandel

Handel

Henkel and Plastic Bank Open First Collection Centers in Egypt

A new chemical recycling unit at Borealis production site in Stenungsund, Sweden, is expected to commence operations in 2024.

More Circular Base Chemicals and Plastic Products

Polymer materials, including synthetic polymers, have a bad reputation. These image problems do not just arise from the current environmental debate but also have earlier origins. In the past, too, polymer materials were subject to unjustified criticism. This often stemmed from non-scientists and frequently betrayed a lack of scientific knowledge.

On the Image of Plastics and their Responsible Use

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Polymer Materials

For almost two decades, an expert committee, meeting once a year, has supported Kunststoffe magazine in determining the state of play in the plastics industry and identifying current technical developments. This time, the traditional spring meeting gave it an opportunity to debate the consequences of the Corona virus.

Current Challenges and Options for Action in the Plastics Industry

Wirtschaftspolitik in Deutschland

Wirtschaft

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Klotz, Karlhorst, Dr.

Internationale Wirtschaft

Verpackungsanlagen

Coilhandling

Kunststoff-Verpackungsmaschine

Sondermaschinen

Medizintechnik

Starting up under the Shadow  of Corona

The increasing volume of plastic waste and the growing pollution of the oceans by such waste have brought the sustainable handling of plastic products into the focus of society and politics. Both recycling and bioplastics can be a part of a strategy for greater sustainability, but they are not free of side effects. In order to avoid irrational decisions, it is important to assess their effects comprehensively.

3D View of Sustainability

Flachfolienanlagen

Blasfolienextrusion

Flachfolien- und Plattenextrusion

Nachhaltigkeit

Folien

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Folienblasanlagen

Why Recycled Films Are Not Necessarily Sustainable

The beneficial processing and service properties of plastics are increasingly determining the ecological fate of the world. The plastics industry has now realized that it is not enough to put the blame on consumer behavior. As K 2019 showed, numerous initiatives and technical developments are paving the way for the urgently needed establishment of a circular economy.

A Stock-Take of K 2019: The Plastics Sector Has Owned up to Its Responsibility

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

The Dawning of the Circular Economy

Advances in Plastics Recycling Processes Towards the Creation of a Circular Economy

The development of a functioning and efficient recycling economy is strongly dependent on the quality of the recycled plastics. New plant and process technology is promoting this development.

The development of a circular economy to address the plastic waste emergency hinges on the creation of demand for high-quality recyclates. Stadler, a leading supplier of sorting plants for the recycling industry, has experienced a shift in the market, with more than 80% of its projects for plastic recycling plants in 2020 involving significant upgrades of the facilities to meet achieve the consistent, high quality output required to enter the plastics circular economy.

Plastic is an exceptional product, with numerous benefits that have made it indispensable to modern life. Its extreme durability, however, creates a difficult end-of-life issue which needs to be addressed with urgency. The solution lies in a shift towards a circular economy where plastic is re-used or recycled, never becoming waste. The recycling industry has a central role to play in this process, with the challenge of maximizing the amount of plastic it recovers from waste and producing an output of consistent, high-quality Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) that can compete with virgin resin.

“We have to unscramble the omelet and take out again the individual ingredients,” explains Enrico Siewert, Director of Product and Market Development at Stadler. “Technology advances in the last 10 years have revolutionized the industry. Today, we are able to sort plastics very efficiently, at very high percentages. A Stadler mechanical sorting plant can achieve up to 95%. With electrostatic or washing equipment it can be close to 100%.”

A Growing Demand for Effective Plastics Recycling

Social awareness is putting growing pressure on stakeholders to change the way they operate. Public policy is increasingly requiring manufacturers to use certain percentages of plastic waste or recycled content in new products. Many big brands have made commitments to better manage the end-of-life of their plastic products and packaging.

“Manufacturers are also finding new uses for PCR, so that recycling doesn’t have to be limited to bottle-to-bottle transformation,” adds Enrico Siewert. “For example, we can make pallets with our recycled plastic. When you consider that 95% of products are transported on wooden pallets, think of the two-fold environmental benefit of converting to plastic pallets! Another innovative use of PCR is railroad ties, also replacing wood. They are extremely durable, they are not vulnerable to water and insects, and competitive in price.”

Other uses that are becoming increasingly popular are underground water treatment septic tanks, replacing concrete, and tanks for water retention plants under parking lots. Consumer-facing products include one-gallon paint pots, which in the United States have switched from steel to polypropylene made from yogurt cups and similar products.

Social pressure, policy changes, new uses for PCR: all these factors are driving a growing demand for high-quality PCR that can be converted into new products.

The recycling industry is responding to this demand, upgrading its facilities to achieve the consistency and high quality needed for PCR to enter the plastics circular economy, and to increase their processing capacity.

Stadler is at the heart of this evolution: “We develop the advanced technology recycling plants need,” explains Enrico Siewert. “We are constantly innovating and developing new processes, adapting our customers’ plants to their changing needs. We are seeing first hand that the industry is stepping up to meet this new demand: last year, plant upgrades and expansions accounted for more than 80% of our projects in the plastics sector, an increase in excess of 38% compared to 2019.”

An issue that has slowed down the demand for PCR is the perceived lack of consistency, which can potentially damage the manufacturer’s equipment or affect their end product’s quality. However, technology advances have resolved this: “The testing equipment has come a long way, to the point where you can have a very reliable feedstock. The customer can trust that every single truckload of PCR that comes into their plant, which they are mixing with their virgin material, is consistent from one year to the next, from one load to the next. This is very important.”

“We have the technology to process plastics efficiently and produce consistently high-quality PCR that can be used to make new products – not necessarily consumer-facing or food grade, but products that have a valuable place in the market. Manufacturers recognize there is a problem and want to do something about it. As their awareness of these possibilities grows, the demand for PCR will increase, driving the development of a plastics circular economy,” concludes Enrico Siewert.

<b><a href="https://www.w-stadler.de/us/index.php" target="_blank">www.w-stadler.de</a></b>

STADLER Anlagenbau GmbH  

https://www.w-stadler.de

For a functioning circular economy, plastics must not only be extracted from post-consumer waste streams, but the recyclates obtained must also be of consistent quality

16:9

2021-04-07 Fachartikel Stadler Anlagenbau

<b>Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH</b> is dedicated to the planning, production and assembly of sorting systems and components for the waste disposal and recycling industry world-wide. Its team of over 450 qualified employees offers a tailor-made full service, from conceptual design to planning, production, modernisation, optimisation, assembly, start-up, conversions, disassembly, maintenance and servicing of components to complete recycling and sorting systems. Its product range includes ballistic separators, transport conveyor belts, screening drums and label removers. The company is also able to provide steel structures and electrical switch cabinets for the plants it installs.

According to Enrico Siewert, head of product and market development at Stadler, the key to plastics recycling is both maximizing the quantities recovered and ensuring the post-consumer recyclate (PCR) is of consistently high quality

For a long time, the many different starting materials in the waste led to inconsistent PCR quality. However, technological developments now offer reliable solutions to this problem

As the quality of post-consumer recyclate continues to improve, more and more applications are emerging that are based on these recyclates and are gaining a steadily increasing foothold in the marketplace

One possible product made from PCR are railroad ties. Compared to wooden ties, they are longer lasting and insensitive to water or insect infestation

Another possible product made from PCR are transport pallets. The properties of the plastic variant are better than those of wooden pallets and the material can be reintroduced into the material cycle after use or in the event of defects