PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2019

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 04/19 www.petpla.net 11 PET monomer recycling can solve all these problems and make every PET packaging recyclable. Second, it will solve the waste problem, every packaging that is collected can be recycled, no reason to put it to incin- eration or landfill. Thirdly, it will increase recycling rates. Just assuming 80% of all PET packaging gets collected, mechanical recycling can bring back 40% and monomer recycling can top this up to 80%. And finally, instead of 2-3 times recycling, PET becomes 100% circular and can endlessly be recycled and even be “upcycled”. Not all PET monomer recycling processes will lead to 100% recycle content in one pellet or one bottle. Depending on the technologies and the size of the operations, the recycled monomers will be used over a large quantity of PET production. For solving the waste problem or for the environment, this is equally good. The current trend of claiming and targeting 35% to 50% and even 100% recycle content in some bottles can be challenged. Is there enough good quality rPET to do all this and what if the quality after 2-3 times recycling of a bottle with >50% rPET has gone down. We have to realise that specifying rPET content by governments is a tool and not a target. It tries to create a value to PET packaging waste and stimulate collection. Target is to solve the waste problem, waste on the streets, waste in the ocean and to re-use our raw materials as much as we can. Still a lot of work has to be done and high expec- tations have to be answered. This will take time. This year we may see the first semi-commercial scale pro- duction of 10.000 t recycled monomers and more will follow. Voices from the industry Mr Paul Niedl, Commercial Head at Starlinger Recycling Technology PETplanet: Since 2002, there has been a Recycling Division at Starlinger. 10 years later in 2012, the Viscotec divi- sion, which looks after entire rPET solutions, was founded. What was the deciding factor in founding Viscotec? Niedl: The business unit Viscotec was founded to better serve the market for PET solid state polycon- densation and PET sheet extrusion. The business unit Starlinger recycling technology serves the market for PET bottle-to-bottle recycling along with other pel- letising applications such as PE, PP, PS, and nylon, amongst others. Since PET solid state polycondensa- tion and PET sheet extrusion is quite specific and a growing market, it did make sense to found a separate business unit for that. PETplanet: Over the past six months, Starlinger has seen an increase in installed plants and installed capacity of 5.4% and 5.3%, respectively. Do you see further growth in the field of PET recycling? If yes, over what period? MATERIALS / RECYCLING 11 SDWHQWV UHVHDUFKHUV DQG WHFKQLFLDQV LQVWDOOHG SODQWV EUDQFKHV ZRUOGZLGH ,I ZH KDGQêW JRQH VR IDU ZH ZRXOGQêW EH VR QHDU <RXU IXWXUH VHHQ IURP QHDU