42 TRADE SHOW REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 10/21 www.petpla.net The Compounding World Expo and Plastics Recycling World Expo returned to Messe Essen in Germany on September 29-30, 2021. This year they were joined by the new Plastics Extrusion World Expo and Polymer Testing World Expo. Organised by Ami, the free-toattend exhibitions featured more than 200 exhibitors - a 20% increase compared to when the shows previously ran in 2018. They also boast fi ve free conference theatres with more than 100 speakers covering the latest market trends and technical developments in plastics compounding, recycling, extrusion and testing. Companies showcasing their latest products and solutions include APK, Aquafi l, B+B, Bühler, Erema, ExxonMobil, Kreyenborg, NGR, Pellenc, Rodepa, Sorema, Steinert, Starlinger, Van Werven, Vecoplan, Veolia, Weima and lots more. This year visitors came from over 100 countries in the world. PETplanet Insider selected some highlight from the show! www.plasticsrecyclingworldexpo.com Sorting systems for separating PET fl akes with a multi-sensor into pure colour and material fractions For some time now, environmental awareness has been rising at every level of society. Consumers are increasingly interested in recycled materials, and in order to meet this growing demand, more and more companies are committing to the use of a fi xed proportion of recyclate in their products. In the case of PET, there is a growing focus on the production of food grade PET recyclate for use in remanufactured beverage bottles (bottle-to-bottle) and packaging trays. Impurities in raw materials Purity is essential to the quality of recycled PET. This is especially true for food-grade applications, such as bottle-tobottle recycling processes, in which purity standards are particularly high. Metal particles and other foreign contaminants found in the starting materials may cause disruptions in the production process, especially during extrusion. Such issues can degrade product quality. In order to enable large-scale use of recyclate, contaminants must be avoided and eliminated. The key concerns of the recycling process are producing pure recyclates, protecting processing machinery, and increasing overall equipment effectiveness. The right process technology is critical in all of these regards. Flake sorting systems are one solution for improving the quality of PET fl akes. The multi-sensor sorting system Flake Purifi er+ CMN from Sesotec can be equipped with three sensors: for colour detection (C), for metal detection (M), and for material detection (N). Data from each individual sensor is evaluated in the processing unit using Octa-Core technology. Poor-quality material is separated by a high-precision air ejection system with a 3.2mm valve and nozzle grid. Use of the multi-sensor sorting system makes it possible to ensure downstream partners receive food grade rPET in varying colors, sorted by material type, and free of metallic particles. With the Flake Purifier+ CMN, offcolours, foreign plastics, and metal contaminants are reliably sorted out before processing. This increases the throughput and thus the production volume of the entire recycling process. Multi-sensor sorting systems are an optimal solution with key advantages: high material purity to fulfi ll even the strictest quality requirements; high material throughput for greater profi tability; minimal loss of good material for higher effi ciency. In addition, the use of multi-sensor sorting systems in rPET processing prevents contaminants from accumulating in extrusion fi lters. By reducing the frequency of fi lter changes, processors are claimed to benefit from reduced maintenance costs and downtime. Also, the use of recycled PET helps to save both raw materials and CO2, thereby contributing to climate protection and resource conservation. www.sesotec.com PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD EXPO review Bartosch Jauernik, Director Product Management PI Plast, Sesotec GmbH
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