PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2020

PET news 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 11/20 www.petpla.net New hot washing system at Herbold’s test centre The plant manufacturer Herbold Meckesheim will expand its test centre with a new hot washing plant by the end of the year as a consequence of the fast- growing demand for superior recycled plastic (aim: “similar to virgin”). For several years, Herbold has been operating a washing test centre on an industrial scale in which customers, potential buyers, planners and research- ers can test and simulate recycling pro- cesses way beyond laboratory level. This plant is to be expanded by a suitable hot washing step. It allows customers to test the treatment of rigid plastics and films with an output of up to 1,000 kg/h also in the hot washing system. The plant has been designed for continuous operation and operates in line with the existing hydrocyclone washing plant. It can be verified whether and how an improvement of the final product is achievable. Especially common in the PET recycling, the hot washing system was traditionally used to remove adhe- sives with which labels were glued on bottles. The hot washing system is on its way to an essential process step in the recycling of polyolefin and other plastics; anywhere where complicated residual material, heavy contamination, persistent odours are to be treated or just simply highest quality is demanded. www.herbold.com Resilux and RCS build partnership to achieve full circularity in PET production PET bottle and preform producer Resilux and recycling management company RCS are working together to achieve complete circularity for their PET products. By combining RCS’s waste collection and Resilux’s production capabilities, the two companies will be able to offer 100% traceability in the recycled PET produced. This growing partnership will help them and their customers to comply with the EU’s directive on plastic products which states that all PET bottles should contain at least 25% recycled PET material by 2025. Resilux and RCS have agreed to enter into a partnership which will involve the sharing of knowhow and usage of each other’s resources. This will enable Resilux to source high quality recycled base material produced from German waste col- lection expert RCS. The combination of the two companies’ capabilities means Resilux and RCS will create a complete sustainability loop. In other words, there will be an unbroken recycling chain stretch- ing from waste PET collection to making food-grade recycled pellets or flakes right through to the production of brand new preforms and bottles using the recycled base material. By securing an additional dependable supply of recycled base material, Resilux is well placed to meet the requirements of the EU directive for 2025. It will also be able to offer its custom- ers 100% traceability information in order to verify the source of its recycled material. Today it is increasingly important for both RCS and Resilux customers to know the precise origin of the recycled material in their preforms or bottles so they can demonstrate compliance with the new directives. RCS has more than 40 years’ experience in the waste disposal industry while Resilux has over 25 years’ experience in preforms and bottles. Through this long-term partnership, the two companies will pool that knowhow to reinforce the investments they are both making in recycling technology. www.resilux.com Engel’s live e-xperience with several thousand participants Several thousand customers, partners and interested par- ties from 90 countries took part in the Engel live e-xperience in mid-October 2020. The keynotes, expert talks, one-on-one meetings and machine exhibits in the virtual showroom were very well attended throughout all four live days. All presenta- tions are still available from the media library. “Even though no classic trade fairs are taking place, and restrictions apply to personal meetings, we still want to exchange ideas with our customers, partners and interested parties and present our solutions and innovations. After all, Covid-19 does not mean that we are slowing down our devel- opment activities”, says Dr Christoph Steger, CSO of the Engel Group. Against this background, the injection moulding machine manufacturer developed a completely new virtual and interactive trade fair concept. Seven machine exhibits, an online specialist congress and one-on-one meetings with familiar local contacts and other experts ensured that the Engel live e-xperience was on a par with a physical trade fair. Many customers booked appointments in advance and were guided through the virtual showroom during the meetings. Engel provided insights into the new machine solutions and process technologies via video streams. www.engelexperience.live www.engelglobal.com