Technological watch
German pilot plant for mechanical recycling / Project for post-consumer recyclates with Tomra
German pilot plant for mechanical recycling / Project for post-consumer recyclates with TomraThe new plant produces recyclate said to suit demanding plastics applications (Photo: Borealis/Tomra)Together with Norwegian sorting technology specialist Tomra (Asker; www.tomra.com), Borealis (Vienna / Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) has commenced operations at a pilot plant for mechanical recycling in Lahnstein / Germany. The line, which the partners operate together with waste disposal company Zimmerman, will use household and plastic film waste to make â??Borcycle Mâ? brand recyclates. These are said to be suitable for demanding applications in consumer goods and the car industry due to their high degree of purity, low odour, high product resistance and only slight colour deviations.
The Austrian polyolefins group said it expects â??unsurpassed results.â? Tomraâ??s head for circular economy Volker Rehrmann described the new facility as one of the â??most advanced mechanical recycling systems for post-consumer polymer waste.â?
The Borcycle portfolio is divided into â??Borcycle Mâ?, â??Borcycle Sâ? from solvent-based recycling, and â??Borcycle Câ? from chemical recycling. The latter two are still in the development or pre-development phase, the company said.
Major brand operators are already showing interest in the recycled materials. â??The first product tests were really promising,â? said Gian De Belder, technical director for R&D of packaging sustainability at US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G, Cincinnati, Ohio; www.us.pg.com). He said Borealisâ?? new approach has the potential to increase both the quality and the quantity of post-consumer recyclates. This can help P&G with its stated goal of halving the amount of virgin polymer it uses â?? a reduction of 300,000 t/y year â?? by 2030, De Belder added (see Plasteurope.com of 01.11.2019).
Thorsten Leopold, director of international packaging technology for home care at German consumer goods producer Henkel (Dà¼sseldorf; www.henkel.com) said, â??One of the greatest challenges on the way to a stronger cycle orientation is the availability of high-quality recycled plastics that can be used for the packaging of our brands.â?22.01.2021 Plasteurope.com [246750-0]
The Austrian polyolefins group said it expects â??unsurpassed results.â? Tomraâ??s head for circular economy Volker Rehrmann described the new facility as one of the â??most advanced mechanical recycling systems for post-consumer polymer waste.â?
The Borcycle portfolio is divided into â??Borcycle Mâ?, â??Borcycle Sâ? from solvent-based recycling, and â??Borcycle Câ? from chemical recycling. The latter two are still in the development or pre-development phase, the company said.
Major brand operators are already showing interest in the recycled materials. â??The first product tests were really promising,â? said Gian De Belder, technical director for R&D of packaging sustainability at US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G, Cincinnati, Ohio; www.us.pg.com). He said Borealisâ?? new approach has the potential to increase both the quality and the quantity of post-consumer recyclates. This can help P&G with its stated goal of halving the amount of virgin polymer it uses â?? a reduction of 300,000 t/y year â?? by 2030, De Belder added (see Plasteurope.com of 01.11.2019).
Thorsten Leopold, director of international packaging technology for home care at German consumer goods producer Henkel (Dà¼sseldorf; www.henkel.com) said, â??One of the greatest challenges on the way to a stronger cycle orientation is the availability of high-quality recycled plastics that can be used for the packaging of our brands.â?22.01.2021 Plasteurope.com [246750-0]
This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme
The website reflects only the author's view. The Commission is not responsible for any use thay may be made of the information it contains.Last update: 2022-01-31
