8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 09/23 www.petpla.net A new rPET production unit for the SGT Group Société Générale des Techniques (SGT) is building a new recycled PET production unit in Rezé, in western France. The Group’s objective is to reach 26,000 t/a of rPET, thanks to new equipment and the performance of its teams. The new recycling unit will be located in Rezé, in the heart of the Group’s historic preform manufacturing plant and head office. This new investment reflects SGT’s determination to guarantee a continuous supply of rPET to all its customers, the majority of whom are bottlers in the food sector, 15 months ahead of the implementation of the European Directive 2019/90 which establishes a minimum recycled content requirement of 25% for PET bottles by 2025. The company had already anticipated market demand, as in 2019, the Group CEO Frédéric Mignot inaugurated his first PET recycling plant, named SGR, in Chalon-sur-Saone in Southeast France. With an annual capacity of 12,000 t, SGR produces a premium quality rPET claimed to be equivalent to virgin PET, suitable for direct food contact and approved by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa). “We will be increasing our rPET production capacity to 26,000 t by mid-2024,” explains Frédéric Mignot. To achieve this objective, the company is equipping itself with the latest technologies, including the new LSP (Liquid State Polycondensation) process from Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen (NGR) for the treatment of post-consumer PET. In this process, all PET impurities are removed in the liquid phase to meet the requirements for food packaging. Complying with Efsa and FDA standards, this process is also claimed to offer higher energy efficiency than conventional SSP applications. In addition, the extraction of contaminants when PET is in the liquid phase enables higher levels of decontamination, particularly for NIAS (non-intentionally added substances) and bisphenol A. To support its project, SGT has been able to count on financial assistance from Ademe, the Ecological Transition Agency from western France. Work will start in December 2023, with commissioning of the new recycling unit scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. www.sgt-pet.com Lindner & Erema establish plastics recycling holding company Erema Group and Lindner Holding have established a holding company called Blueone Solutions. This newly formed entity aims to leverage both companies’ expertise and jointly execute research projects to create industry standards in plastics recycling. From waste to recycled granulate, potential new raw materials pass through several different recycling processes. These range from sorting, shredding, washing, and drying to extrusion, including filtration, compounding, and odour optimisation. The challenge for the industry lies in fine tuning these individual recycling steps – in particular when energy efficiency and high recyclate qualities are to be achieved. The founding of Blueone Solutions, a company which is owned 50:50 by the Erema Group and Lindner Holding and to which shares of Lindner Washtech were contributed, is that very starting point. The experience of Lindner Washtech will be combined with that of the extruder manufacturer Erema. They aim to increase the added value and set industry standards by adjusting and optimising processes and conducting joint research projects. Former projects, such as the pilot facilities in the LIT Factory at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz, Austria, allowed the companies to enter into a close technical exchange already years ago. www.erema.com R&D Leverage Europe expands to offer complete solution in IBM development R&D Leverage Europe, a subsidiary of Adler Industrial Solutions, announced an expansion in its services with the addition of Injection Blow Mould (IBM) capabilities. In 2023, the company has invested substantially in equipment and infrastructure to facilitate this development, including the purchase of IBM machines for mould validation and sampling. In anticipation of the increased demand for their services, R&D Leverage Europe wi l l expand i ts technical team both through numbers, and expertise through intensive training. This strategic move is intended to ensure that the company remains at the forefront of IBM technology and is well-equipped to deliver cutting-edge solutions. This expansion will enable the company to better serve its existing clients while reaching out to new customers in the IBM sector, says R&D. Employing over 80 dedicated professionals, R&D Leverage Europe operates from state-of-the-art facilities on its campus in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, with a total area of 40,000 square feet. As part of its expansion plans, the company is actively developing an adjacent 15,000-squarefoot facility to house a second Product Solutions Lab, initially housing two mould validation machines for the IBM sector. This investment will further solidify the company’s position as an industry leader. www.adlertooling.com
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