PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2017

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 01+02/17 www.petpla.net 8 Synergy effect by combining expert’s technology The big challenge of waste plastic Waste plastic is an enormous challenge worldwide. Yet, as production continues to increase, just 5% of waste plastic is recycled effectively. Bühler is addressing this global challenge with a tailored PET recycling solution, capable of improving yields by 30%. A strategic partnership with US-based National Recovery Technologies (NRT) allows the company to offer plastics recyclers a complete solution for plastic bottle and flake sorting. Plastic production is increasing massively and has become a severe ecological challenge. Plastic produc- tion has increased 20-fold since 1964, to some 311 million tonnes in 2014 and the numbers are expected to double again in the next 20 years and quadru- ple by 2050, according to a report pro- duced by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The report also found that just 5% of waste plastic is recycled effectively. Assuming the recycling rate remains unchanged at just 5%, the report warns of alarming consequences – that there will be more waste plastic in the sea than fish by 2050, if the world doesn’t make significant changes. Collecting and recycling PET plastic has the potential to reduce millions of tonnes of waste each year. It can be reused to manufacture a wide range of consumer products, as well as food and drink packaging. Bühler accounts for 25% of the rPET recycled stream in Europe and approximately 10% of the global market. The company is now helping PET recyclers with a two- machine process solution that delivers bottle-to-bottle grade rPET flakes. and flake sorting, with NRT specialis- ing in bottle sorting, combined with Bühler’s expertise in flake sorting. Mat- thias Erdmannsdoerfer, President of NRT, says: “This significant partnership agreement is further acknowledge- ment of our commitment to supply and service leading plastics recyclers with a full portfolio of leading bottle and flake sorting equipment. We’re excited to bring the industry’s first complete offering to market that doesn’t require a plastics recycler to compromise on bottle or flake sorting performance and provides high-quality, local support.” Bühler’s PET recycling solu- tion also reinforces its sustainability strategy. Bernhard Gabauer, Segment Development Manager for Plastics at Bühler said: “Sustainability is increas- ingly vital in the food industry. Our new flake sorting technology enables our customers to recycle more plastic, more efficiently and to a higher grade. It is a perfect fit with Bühler’s envi- ronmental goal of a 30% reduction in energy, water, and resources in all core processes by 2020.” As a result of the new offering, global OEM and leading PET recy- cler STF recently switched to Bühler’s new process solution and was able to increase its yield of bottle-to-bottle grade rPET flakes by more than 30%. Mr Josef Söllner, managing director at STF, is convinced by the new tech- nology: “We choose to use Bühler’s Sortex technology, as it is the best flake sorter on the market. We under- took several industry trials to evaluate other technologies, but discovered that Bühler provided the best solution – first class machine results combined with impressive customer service,” he said. www.buhlergroup.com www.nrtsorters.com www.stf-aicha.de The two-machine solution incor- porates the Sortex A ColorVision, which delivers high quality colour sorting thanks to its use of three vis- ible wavelengths, allowing a detailed colour detection. When combined with enhanced InGaAs camera technol- ogy (infrared detacting), an advanced inspection system and SmartEject technology, the sorter efficiently removes challenging foreign material from clear, blue, green and jazz appli- cations. Then the Sortex E PolyVision employs a polymer sorting process, using a unique combination of trans- parent and reflective sorting, simulta- neously. This identifies invisible and same-colour polymer contaminants by their unique chemical signature, successfully separating clear poly- mers from clear PET. This combination delivers higher grade rPET flakes that exceed the minimum standards for re-use. Furthermore, Bühler’s partner- ship with NRT establishes the two companies as first-choice technol- ogy partners for plastics recyclers. Together, they offer plastics recyclers a complete solution for plastic bottle Two-machine process solution delivering bottle-to-bottle rPET flakes.