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As a raw material, plastic can make a valuable contribution to environmental protection and to the energy revolution. Key to both is efficient recycling of plastics. For this reason, plastics recycling is the focus of our comprehensive development projects.
In the Coperion Recycling Pavilion at K 2022 we have presented our bundled process solutions and technologies that enable the economical recycling of a wide variety of plastics while achieving the highest product qualities.
The Value Chain of the Future is Circular
"We at Coperion believe that plastics will continue to be indispensable in reconciling economic prosperity with ecological responsibility. However, plastics will be used circular. With the goal that plastics recycling not remain the exception but instead become everyday practice, we consistently direct our entire range of products and services for the plastics industry toward the ability to use material not just linearly, but circularly as well."
We have shown a complete system built around a ZSK 58 Mc18 twin screw extruder configured for manufacturing high-quality PET using recycled materials.
Melting, intensive devolatilization, and complete homogenization take place in the process section of the ZSK 58 Mc18, before the material stream is transferred via a gear pump and filter with an automatic screen pack changer to an underwater pelletizer for pellet production.
Conventional technologies for recycling PET require pre-drying and crystallization of flakes and fibers before they can be re-processed. Using Coperion's process solution, PET recyclate can be introduced directly into the ZSK extruder. Recyclers profit particularly from the very high end product quality. Thanks to the ZSK’s very good devolatilization properties, volatile components such as monomers, oligomers and water are reliably removed. Savings in operating and logistics costs as well as reduced energy consumption are further advantages of Coperion systems for recycling PET.
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On display was Coperion K-Tron’s SWB-300 weigh belt feeder as a comparatively simply constructed, extremely reliable gravimetric feeder for high accuracy and efficient process control. Weigh belt feeders of this type can reliably feed large volumes of bulk materials with various flow properties and as such are well suited, among other things, for processing of recyclates.
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Using the innovative, newly developed Coperion ZS-B MEGAfeed, plastic recyclate with a bulk density under 200 kg/m³, long considered intake-limited and thus not worth recycling, can be reliably fed in large quantities into smaller sizes of Coperion’s ZSK twin screw extruders and be concurrently recycled and compounded.
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If the plastic pellets produced create undesirable odors, these can be reliably removed using deodorization equipment from Coperion. In order to optimize such deodorizing equipment’s specification and to individually determine its operational parameters, Coperion now provides onsite tests using a mobile unit for reducing plastic pellet and recyclate odor at customers’ production facilities. Using this solution with freshly produced product and under actual production conditions, the possibilities for reducing recyclate odor can be thoroughly investigated, and system parameters to achieve desired product quality can be defined on location.