Technological watch

Austrian recycler increases capacity / More PET bottles recovered in 2018 than previous yearPET to PET Recycling's facility in Austria (Photo: Starlinger)A renovation of PET to PET Recycling Österreich's (Müllendorf / Austria; www.pet2pet.at) recycling facility has increased its output capacity. ?After completion of the revamp, the line runs at 20% more output with consistent quality and constant IV [intrinsic viscosity],? said Christian Lovranich, head of Process Engineering at Austrian machinery manufacturer Starlinger (Vienna; www.starlinger.com). In addition to making the line more productive, the doubling of capacity for energy recovery has also increased energy efficiency.
In 2018, PET to PET Recycling recovered and recycled 25,400 t of PET bottles in Austria, 9% more than in 2017. A total of 1 bn PET bottles were processed. In view of the plastics recycling targets of 50% by 2025 stipulated by the European Commission's Circular Economy Package ? see Plasteurope.com of 19.01.2018 ? the company is anticipating growing demand for recyclate. The Austrian recycler is owned by beverage producers Coca-Cola HBC Austria, Egger Getränke, Rauch Fruchtsäfte, S. Spitz and Vöslauer Mineralwasser.11.03.2019 Plasteurope.com [241896-0]