Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a material that could play a key function in the plastics industry’s path toward a circular economy. PET flakes can now be processed without pre-drying into pellets using Coperion ZSK twin screw extruders. Next they are condensed in the SSP (Solid State Polycondensation) reactor, and reprocessed back into bottles again.
PET recyclate manufactured using this innovative process has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food-contact uses. Thanks to the highly efficient plastification within the ZSK extruder, Coperion systems for this bottle-to-bottle recycling process achieve throughput rates between 2 and 8 tons per hour, therefore recycling companies profit from high product quality, reduced operating and logistic expenses as well as from energy cost savings up to 30 % in comparison to conventional PET recycling methods.
Source: Coperion
