PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2012

MATERIAL / RECYCLING 31 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 07+08/12 www.petpla.net Artenius, the PET & Recycling Division of LSB, has developed a new PET resin material that com- bines virgin PET resin and post-consumer recycled PET as feedstock in the polymer production process. The result is an energy-efficient food-safe packaging resin called Artenius Unique. One trade platform The ”who’s who” of two industries powered by drinktechnology-india.com drink technology India 2012 Your gateway to India’s future PackTech India 2012 Exhibition and Conference for Processes, Packaging and Printing www.packtech-india.com 7th International 6—8 November 2012 Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre Mumbai/India Forum organizer Supported by Contact drink technology India MMI India Pvt. Ltd. avisha.desai@mmi-india.in | www.drinktechnology-india.com Phone +91 22 4255-4710 | Fax +91 22 4255-4719 Contact International PackTech India Messe Düsseldorf India Pvt. Ltd. SharmaS@md-india.com | www.messe-duesseldorf.de Phone +91 11 2697-1745 | Fax +91 11 2697-1746 Supported by Sponsors and Conference Organizers Organized by Artenius Unique is produced under a proprietary chemical recycling process. The clean recycled PET is de-polymerised and mixed together with standard virgin PET raw materials, integrating both types of compounds into the re-polimerisation process. The process can be achieved through the following steps: PET flakes are fed into a reactor by a closed and nitrogen flushed system to prevent entry of air and pollutants into the reactor. Glycolysis: PET flakes inside the reactor are de-polymerised under con- trolled conditions of temperature, pres- sure, and residence time. Unwanted particles that do not melt during glycoly- sis are eliminated by filtration during the transfer to the next step. Glycolyzed prod- uct (a mixture of monomer and oligomer) is then mixed with virgin monomer and oligomer (with the same characteristics of the recyclate) in the PET resin produc- tion plant. To increase the viscosity, the material undergoes a polycondensation in melt phase: The vacuum and tempera- tures applied during this stage complete the removal of any contamination which might be present in the rPET stream. Polycondensation in solid phase: pellets are processed to achieve the final mechanical characteristics of PET. The bottles produced from recycled PET can then BE collected by the same means as bottles containing only virgin resin (selective collection or deposit system), so that they can be recycled an indefinite number of times. Artenius UE can be used for all direct food contact applications. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has ruled that this pro- cess should not be treated differently from monomers manufactured by chemical synthesis. Therefore, the resins are cov- ered by authorisation of monomers and additives in the Commission Regulation 10/2011 instead of by Regulation (EC) 282/2008 on recycled plastic materials for food contact articles. The Artenius Unique process has also been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through its non-objection letter. The FDA determined that the proposed process is suitable for accepting a feedstock of clean post-consumer PET at levels up to 50% for containers for food contact with all food types. Currently, Artenius Unique is produced in the Italian factory: Artenius Italia, S.p.A. and the factory located in Spain (El Prat). www.laseda.es New material combines virgin PET and rPET Bridging the gap