PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2018

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 04/18 www.petpla.net 54 What makes the FTR process unique? PCR flakes used as feed to the FTR unit can replace up to 50% of PET raw materials, such as PTA, PIA and EG. It can be used to boost capacity of exciting polycondensa- tion units, without changing reactor cascades upstream of the Finisher (Discage reactor, in the case of MTR). The carbon footprint is cut to a frac- tion, compared to full virgin PET poly- condensation. A significant reduction of production cost in the PET manu- facturing process can be achieved, depending on the price and availability of PCR-flakes. The needs of brand-owners, NGOs and legislators for a ‘greener’ PET resin, containing a high level of recycled material, is fulfilled by FTR. Uniform product quality is achieved with defined levels of PCR content, as blend uniformity of FTR resins is supe- rior to mixtures of virgin and recycled pellets. UIF FTR technology offers PET producers the following features:  it adds a ‘green’ label by produc- ing PET resin with a high content of PCR-flakes  it considerably reduces PET resin’s carbon footprint  it reduces production cost, by replacing expensive raw material with PCR flakes  it is integrated into UIF’s MTR technology to produce PET resin  it produces virgin-like PET resin  it is approved by FDA and EFSA for food-contact applications  it reduces additional efforts at preform manufacturing (logistics, handling, mixing etc.)  it is a patented, proprietary technology What will come next? In most industrial scale applica- tions of FTR technology, 10–15% PCR flake content has been found to strike a good balance between plant capacities and local availability of high quality flakes. Commercially operated MTR/FTR units have been proven to run well with levels of 25% PCR in the final chips and to yield a product with properties as good as virgin PET. Requirements for use of higher levels of PCR in all kinds of packag- ing, including food-contact applica- tions, are expected to become a reality soon; PCR levels of 50% or more in PET chips will be required. Besides improved cleaning effi- ciencies (degassing, filtration etc.) the whole process has been optimised for a simple and highly efficient produc- tion. It also allows relaxation of quality requirements for PCR flakes by inte- grating pre-sorting directly upstream of the feed to the melting extruder. Toler- ance of inferior flake quality means that the FTR process will become even more economical and will lead to a bigger pool of potential suppliers of flakes. www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com FTR recycling integrated into MTR technology