PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2019

48 PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 04/19 www.petpla.net PET products Super-clean PET bottle recycling production line A new development from BoReTech is the Super-Clean PET bottle recycling production line (SCP). The SCP includes 18 completed processes, designed for food-grade bottle-to- bottle project, with a standard capacity of 3,000 kg/h and a footprint of 2,000m² (height of workshop: 8m). The whole line adopts the modular design of standard equipment, with international spare parts availability. The rPET flakes thus produced can replace virgin material to blow bottles in 100% rPET and the IV of end product flakes is typically 0.7-0.78. BoReTech highlights especially the air pneumatic convey- ing and pumping connection between the various machine processes; the in-house developed automated DCS control system (one-button start & stop operation) as well as an easy to clean operation. The platform is movable and easy to assemble. Labels, powders & caps are collected online and recycled. The Super-Clean PET bottle recycling production line will be unveiled at the Chinaplas 2019 in Guangzhou. www.bo-re-tech.com Fine filtration An innovative FlexDisc filter for piston-activated screen changers substantially enlarges available filtration area without the need to increase machine size. It is claimed to enable processors and recyclers to achieve finer filtration, higher throughputs, longer filter service life, and reduced specific backflush volume. Nordson Corporation stated that the BKG FlexDisc is suitable for increasing productivity and enhancing quality in bottle-to-bottle PET recycling, PET fibre recycling, and battery separator film applications. The function of the hydraulic pistons, with which many BKG screen changers are equipped, is to insert screen cavi- ties into the melt stream for filtration and to remove them for cleaning or replacement. In systems where FlexDiscs are used, each cavity contains a filter stack comprised of two to four FlexDiscs, depending on machine size. Each FlexDisc is equipped with two Nordson screen packs. As a result, there are two to 4.5 times more filtration area available for each cavity with the new FlexDisc than with conventional stand- ard round screens, and 25% additional area (on average) when compared to the former FlexDisc version. The actual increase is dependent on machine size. Screen changers equipped with Nordson’s backflush technology include the BKG V-Type 3G and BKG HiCon K-SWE-4K-75/RS. Backflushing diverts the contaminant from the melt stream. The greater filtration efficiency of the new FlexDisc reduces the frequency of backflushing and thus the amount of specific backflush volume, states the company. As melt enters the filter stack from the upstream side, it is evenly distributed among the FlexDiscs, which are rheo- logically optimised to provide efficient filtration with minimal shear stress. At the same time, the structural integrity of the FlexDisc design enables it to withstand pressure differentials up to 130 bar (1,900 psi) during the backflush procedure. www.nordson.com Cut-away view showing distribution of polymer melt among FlexDisc filters and removal of contaminants Recycling Special