Plastics Recycling World Expo review
The Compounding World Expo and Plastics Recycling World Expo returned to Messe Essen in Germany on September 29-30, 2021. This year they were joined by the new Plastics Extrusion World Expo and Polymer Testing World Expo. Organised by Ami, the free-to-attend exhibitions featured more than 200 exhibitors – a 20% increase compared to when the shows previously ran in 2018. They also boast five free conference theatres with more than 100 speakers covering the latest market trends and technical developments in plastics compounding, recycling, extrusion and testing.
Sorting systems for separating PET flakes with a multi-sensor into pure colour and material fractions
For some time now, environmental awareness has been rising at every level of society. Consumers are increasingly interested in recycled materials, and in order to meet this growing demand, more and more companies are committing to the use of a fixed proportion of recyclate in their products. In the case of PET, there is a growing focus on the production of food grade PET recyclate for use in remanufactured beverage bottles (bottle-to-bottle) and packaging trays.
Impurities in raw materials
Management PI Plast, Sesotec GmbH
Purity is essential to the quality of recycled PET. This is especially true for food-grade applications, such as bottle-to-bottle recycling processes, in which purity standards are particularly high. Metal particles and other foreign contaminants found in the starting materials may cause disruptions in the production process, especially during extrusion. Such issues can degrade product quality. In order to enable large-scale use of recyclate, contaminants must be avoided and eliminated. The key concerns of the recycling process are producing pure recyclates, protecting processing machinery, and increasing overall equipment effectiveness. The right process technology is critical in all of these regards.
Flake sorting systems are one solution for improving the quality of PET flakes. The multi-sensor sorting system Flake Purifier+ CMN from Sesotec can be equipped with three sensors:
- for colour detection (C),
- for metal detection (M),
- and for material detection (N).
Data from each individual sensor is evaluated in the processing unit using Octa-Core technology. Poor-quality material is separated by a high-precision air ejection system with a 3.2 mm valve and nozzle grid. Use of the multi-sensor sorting system makes it possible to ensure downstream partners receive food grade rPET in varying colors, sorted by material type, and free of metallic particles. With the Flake Purifier+ CMN, off-colours, foreign plastics, and metal contaminants are reliably sorted out before processing. This increases the throughput and thus the production volume of the entire recycling process.
Multi-sensor sorting systems are an optimal solution with key advantages:
- high material purity to fulfill even the strictest quality requirements;
- high material throughput for greater profitability;
- minimal loss of good material for higher efficiency.
In addition, the use of multi-sensor sorting systems in rPET processing prevents contaminants from accumulating in extrusion filters. By reducing the frequency of filter changes, processors are claimed to benefit from reduced maintenance costs and downtime. Also, the use of recycled PET helps to save both raw materials and CO2, thereby contributing to climate protection and resource conservation.
Bühler unveiled its 4-in-1 optical sorter for PET recyclers
With increasing demand for bottle-to-bottle and food-packaging applications, the global plastics market can now get the superior quality and purity levels it needs thanks to the pioneering Sortex A Glow Vision, launched recently in London and presented at the World Recycling Expo in Essen, Germany. This one-machine solution and its host of intricate features includes a custom-built inspection system, highly accurate double-sided cameras, and flexible chute configuration.
In response to growing demand, the Sortex A GlowVision offers a simultaneous re-sort function, which delivers the high reject concentration (up to 40% when the re-sort channel is deployed). The Sortex A GlowVision is available in three to five chute models on a five-module frame and features a custom-built inspection system designed specifically for PET sorting.
As a 4-in-1 sorting solution for bottle-to-bottle and food applications, the Sortex A GlowVision has been designed with the increasing industry requirements in mind. In this respect the Sortex A GlowVision will be of great interest to PET processors looking to reduce contamination levels on key colour and polymer defects, providing one of the most comprehensive solutions. Thanks to its double-sided camera viewing technology, the Sortex A GlowVision provides convincing results, performing on a broad range of defects typically found in PET streams. The Sortex A GlowVision deals effectively with opaque, white, and transparent coloured flakes, as well as on polymer defects including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS) and polyamide (PA), and a high performance on metals and significant reduction of loose labels.
Sortex monitoring system
The Sortex A GlowVision comes with Bühler’s built-in Sortex monitoring system subscription. The cloud-based system continuously analyses data straight from the Sortex A GlowVision and provides operators with real-time monitoring of key performance indicators such as yield and throughput. This helps to improve productivity and keep yield consistently high. The at-a-glance dashboard of the Sortex monitoring system, which can be viewed on a mobile phone, laptop, or tablet, provides a simple yet comprehensive overview of each sorter, with alarms able to notify the customer when their key parameters are out of specs.
Performance reports
The Sortex monitoring system, which tracks the sorter’s performance in real-time, sends operators’ instant mobile alerts should any unusual sorter performance occur. Operators can then make adjustments to avoid any wastage, while minimizing downtime. Processors can use the generated sorter data to track key performance indicators (KPIs) in weekly or monthly performance reports.
Control and support
The Sortex A GlowVision has a SortControl – as optional – which helps to integrate the sorter with a local automation system via a compatible programmable logic controller (PLC), enabling central data collection. An interface between the optical sorter and the automation system will be achieved using a proprietary gateway. Through the integration of automation protocols, SortControl enables the implementation of requirements for Industry 4.0 compatibility.
