PLASTIC

RECYCLI
NG
SURVEY
Under supervision of: Dr. Ibrahim Elfaham

PLASTIC RECYCLING

I. MATERIALS:

General Purpose Polystyrene

Often referred to in its acronym form GPPS, is made from a styrene monomer polymer
through a process of suspension. It is a solid product that is generally see through and
compressed in granule form to produce a range of products. It is has a high gloss finish
and is clear.
General Purpose Polystyrene is relatively strong and weather resistant. The material
flows easily, making it perfect for usage in moulds with end products such as toys, CD
cases, hangers, and plastic cups. The polystyrene is used in applications such as IT
equipment, clear jewel boxes and other types of enclosures.
GPPS is also used for the manufacturing of disposable medical products such as test
tubes, test kits housing, diagnostic products, Petri-dishes and tissue trays. Bath
accessories and garden equipment are also made from GPPS. As such the application
range of this type of polystyrene is extensive.
GPPS is a transparent, rigid thermoplastic sheet with limited flexibility. The material is particularly
suited to flat applications such as poster glazing.

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Non standard stock:

GPPS AR
GPPS AR has a fine, matt texture on both sides. This surface finish is primarily to help
avoid glare by reducing reflections but also works equally well to disguise finger marks
from handling.
GPPS EMBOSSED
Embossed sheets have a surface finish that offers light transmission whilst obscuring
vision.
All sheet dimensions shown below are standard manufacturing sizes. We also offer a
cut-to-size service for any other panel size required.
KEY FEATURE

Good clarity
Lightweight
High rigidity
Dimensionally stable
Easily thermoformed

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS

Point of purchase
Poster glazing
Picture framing
Shower screens
Forming and fabrication

Other types for Polyethylene

High Density Polyethylene

High Impact
Low Density Polyethylene
Polypropylene
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate
Linear Low Density Polyethylene
Copolymer
High Density Polyethylene

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High Density Polyethylene is used in the making of household items such as

containers, caps, and bags. The material is used in injection, blow and rotational
molding. It is robust, easy to process, and has a high gloss finish.
High Impact Polyethylene as opposed to General Purpose Polystyrene, the
High Impact Polystyrene contains rubber and is used in the making of products
that must be impact resistant and the transparency is less than with GPPS. The
material has a standard flow, is glossy but less than GPPS, is crack resistant and
is used in injection molding. Applications include that of sheets for freezers.
Low Density Polyethylene is used in the construction and agricultural industries
in the form of a thin film. Products made from this type of polyethylene include
packaging for frozen foods, t-shirt bags, textile packaging and laminating film.
Polypropylene is used for many applications. It can be injected as well. The
material is used for products such as enclosures and toys. It is characterized by
its strength, processing attributes, and glossy finish.
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate the material is used in molding processes and hot
melting adhesive applications.
Linear Low Density Polyethylene it is a blown film that can also be blended
with other resins. Applications range from ice bags to lids, containers, vehicle
parts and toys. It can handle low temperatures well and has a high gloss finish.
Copolymer it is used for the making of lids and clear enclosure products. It is
stiff and clear. The material is generally used in the making of hard consumer
goods.
As can be seen from the above information provided, General Purpose
Polystyrene and related types are used for a wide variety of applications. The
cost effectiveness of production, ease of storage, and molding characteristics
make the material versatile and recycling of such products become all the more
important. Without polystyrene, many of the disposable and household products
of today would not have been available.
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POLYCARBONATE Properties
To an untrained observer in Egypt, polycarbonate can pass for glass. Except it's much
lighter and easier to use. It can also withstand blows and impacts that would shatter
glass into thousands of dangerous shards. Which is hardly surprising, as it's over 200
times stronger.
Polycarbonate is also very resistant to heat and flames. It's rated with a fire resistant
classification of 1, which makes it a safe material to use in residential and commercial
buildings.
It lets sunlight and warmth shine through, but it blocks harmful UV radiation. UV is
responsible for suntans - but in larger doses it causes sunburns. It even plays a role in
skin cancer, so it's a good idea to filter it whenever possible.
Polycarbonate is a good thermal insulator, too, making it an ideal material for saving
energy bills.
Polycarbonate Applications

Skylight application
Roofing application
Ceiling application
Window application
Greenhouse application
Signage application
Lightweight panel application
Digital printing application

PET Sustainability
First and foremost, a sustainable package must serve its essential function: to protect the
product it contains, delivering it safely with all of its features and benefits intact.
Beyond this, sustainable package manufacturers look to reduce the environmental foot print
of their package wherever possible through renewable or reduced energy use; reduction of
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the necessary raw materials and other resources; use of design-for-recycling principles;
incorporation of recycled content back into the package; and sound, accessible end-of-life
options for that package, such as recycling.

II. SHREDDER:
Introduction
Modern waste management is a complex process, partly because of the number of plastics
used in modern packaging and manufacturing processes. Plastics are among the most versatile
materials for creating containers for almost anything, as well as parts for nearly any type of
equipment. Unfortunately, the same properties that make them versatile also make for difficult
disposal. Not only are there several types of plastic to deal with, the waste care industry must
also consider how to handle the contents of the containers.
Small grinders and granulators may offer a solution for businesses that deal with
disposal and/or recycling of a small amount of plastics, as compared to large industrial
manufacturers or recycling facilities. Whether these units are practical for a particular business
depends on several factors, including the types of plastic to be processed, the contents of any
containers and the amount to be processed as well as the time allowed for processing.
We hope that this guide will help our customers in determining the suitability of this line of

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recycling equipment for their particular applications and which product best suits their needs.

Contents:
1. Components of plastic shredder
2. Shredding mechanism
3. Types of shredder

Components of plastic shredder

-Hopper:
Capacity of shredder is determined by the physical size of the hopper so it's important for
feed flow calculations.

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Shaft:
it converts the motion of motor throughout gears to the blades.

Blade:
it is important for cutting the plastic feed supplied through
The hopper.

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Framework ( base, housing):

Most manufacturers make sure that shredder housings can withstand the impact of
these objects and keep them contained.

Power supply (motor):

The electrical power supply available for operating shredder will have a direct impact
on the type of unit you purchase. You need to consider both the voltage requirements
(typically 120V/60Hz or 240V/50Hz) and the current the unit draws.
Mash screen:
It acts like a filter to ensure large particles result from shredding process will be in
a suitable range which is equivalent to the pores of the mash screen.

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Shredding mechanism
Single shaft:
Single Shaft Shredder is equipped with only one shaft with rotary blades, a hydraulic-driven
pusher plate/arm, and a screen underneath the rotating shaft.
Single Shaft Shredder is mainly applied to shred thick and solid materials such as molding
purging/runners/spurs, plastic pallets, rubber rolls, wood lumbers, tree branches, bones,
wood pallets, etc.
With a single-shaft shredder, once the material is fed into the hopper, the hydraulic-driven
plate/arm pushes the material towards the cutting shaft to ensure the material is efficiently
shredded by the rotary cutting blades. The material will be repeatedly shredded until the shreds
are small enough to pass throughput the screen mesh as output.

Double shaft:
Double Shaft Shredder is built with two shafts of blades, which we also call dual
shearing shafts. There is no hydraulic-driven pusher or screen on this machine.
With a double-shaft shredder, once the material is fed into the machine,
The two shafts of cutting blades hook the material and then bite it until its fully
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swallowed into the discharging chamber. The shreds are directly discharged
after cutting without passing through any screen, so the size of shreds is quite
random.
Double Shaft Shredder normally is used to shred small to large sized relatively
light or hollow products, such car/truck tires, film, plastic/steel drums,
scrap TV/computer, scrap fax/printing machines, etc.

Types of shredder
Single shaft shredder:
One-shaft (or single-shaft) shredder technology is one option if stringent particle-size control
is required.
This technology has advantages for certain applications. Single-rotor shredders offer the
advantage of better particle-size control through the use of a sizing screen.
This technology typically operates at rotor speeds in the 80-to-110-rpm range, with some
shredder styles operating at much higher rpms.
The single-shaft shredder is ideal for processing "clean" material streams, such as plastic
purging, foam, fiber, paper, rubber and even some metals like aluminum. Most use
a horizontal ram to feed the material to a single drum rotor. Rotor sizes vary and are typically
300 millimeters to 500 millimeters in diameter. The cutting action is achieved as 30 to 90 small
(40- to-50 millimeter) square cutters pass a fixed cutting anvil. If a sizing screen is used,
Oversize material is re-circulated and processed again by the rotor until the desired particle size
is achieved. The small cutters often can be rotated two to four times and replaced when worn
or damaged. Screen sizing is typically 5/8 inch to 6 inches.

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Achieving a uniform particle size is a major advantage of the single-shaft shredder, but this
technology has its limitations, too. Because the system is processing at a higher speed with
a smaller hardened steel cutter, some damage is likely to occur should the cutter encounter
heavy metal or non-shreddable material. The damage can range from minor to extensive.
Cutter changing is frequent when processing abrasive materials such as carpet.
Some materials can plug or blind the screen, and the higher-rpm rotor can generate heat and
fines with some materials.
The single-shaft shredder is a viable solution with certain types of clean material, but it can be
high maintenance when processing material that contains contaminates or abrasives.

Double shaft shredder:

Low-speed, two -shaft shredders called rotary shear shredders have been used for years
to process material across a wide range of applications. The two-shaft shredder is well suited
for applications such as composting, municipal solid waste, tires, metals, industrial waste,
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electronic scrap, plastics and paper.

The advantages of the two-shaft shredder are many; but, perhaps most notable is its ability to
process contaminated waste steams that may contain metal or non-shreddable materials.
Because of the large heavy-duty, low-speed cutting disks and the automatic reversing
capabilities of the shredder, the chance of damage to the equipment is minimal when
the shredder encounters difficult-to-shred materials. These large-diameter cutters also are
known for long life, sometimes lasting years in non-abrasive applications.
A two-shaft shredder of the proper size and design can be reliable, provide low operating
cost and process a high volume of material under many feed conditions and operating
environments.

For some materials and for applications that require a smaller more uniform particle size,
the two-shaft shredder is less suitable. Two-shaft shredders are somewhat limited in the particle
size they can produce. Most materials tend to be shredded into strips of various lengths.
Strip width depends on the cutter width. Document shredding applications that require a higher
level of security typically use a 5/8-inch wide strip. Most other applications use a cutter 1 to 2
inches wide on small and mid-range systems (20 horsepower to 100 horsepower), while larger
systems (150 horsepower to 500 horsepower) use 2-inch to 6-inch cutters.
Particle length using a two-shaft shredder varies widely, depending on the material, and can
range from a few inches to a few feet. This particle size may not meet the need in some
applications to produce a consistent and smaller particle size.

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Four shaft shredder :

Four-shaft, low-speed shredders also are available from some suppliers. This technology
combines the two-shaft shredders reliability and uses a sizing screen for particle size control.
The four-shaft shredder is a top-fed machine, like the two-shaft shredder. The cutting disks
shear the material against the opposing cutter. The lower sets of cutters process material
bi-directionally while operating in either direction. The upper two sets of cutters clean the
primary shafts and also provide some shearing. All the cutters sweep the sizing screen,
which produces the desired particle size

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III. WASHERS AND DRYIERS:

Washers
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-Here the matter will be a little more difficult due to the fact that final product can be used for
many different applications and, it is true everybody wants the best possible quality, but costs
are directly proportional to quality level so you may want to think about it.
We will always be talking about PPM (parts per million) even in the worse case but few PPM
here and there is what makes the big difference for the final application of flakes.
Categories are internationally recognized as for fibers production for strapping, spun bond
and packaging sheet and finally for food applications.
-In our dictionary the word "Washing" means to remove dirt from whatever it is and this sounds
absolutely obvious but its not simple as that.
For example, most of everybody calls tanks "washing tanks"
Now you can check by yourself putting a piece of plastic into water, and feel free to add even
some soap, leave it there for few hours, or a day, and see how clean it is after this.
It has exactly the same amount of dirt it was before this "washing" treatment.
In other words, to remove dirt from plastic flakes, it takes some other action.
Now, what about doing what it has been done for centuries to wash cloths: brushing
and/or beating with stones or something like this, in other words making friction to remove dirt.
In the 21st century the way of washing didn't change much, unless for the fact soaps are
different and performing better.
So in order to wash PET plastic we need to make as much possible friction
(we're speaking about pieces of plastic and not an expensive piece of cloth) in presence of
something that can trap dirt into it (detergent).
-Do all plastic need detergents ?
Not at all.
If contamination happens, for example, paper, sand or something that remains on the surface,
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detergents are useless because the process will be only to remove them from the surface while,
speaking of oil, glue or other sticky dirt, matter can be different.
Sometimes, with some materials, contamination even help to make polymer to look better;
for example if you leave some PPM of oil into LD-HDPE or PP you'll get a beautiful looking
pellet, shining, so why to remove all of it ?
Of course we're talking about a very little amount that should remain inside the scrap but, again,
sometimes a little bit of contamination helps to make you product better or better performing.
Most of scraps anyway, need to be perfectly clean and here we'll be talking about the meaning
of "perfect"
It needs to perfect when a certain kind of contamination really bother being there and needs to
be removed all the way.
Let's make the example that, in our opinion, suite the best this concept:

glue into PET washed

bottle flakes.
Many year ago, asking to the chief engineer of the biggest company in the world recycling PET
which was the maximum amount of glue allowed, he just said: don't know and don't care.
So, in the years we found out the reason for this:
Glue doesn't affect PET itself but it just turns the color of pellets anywhere from yellow to brown
because melting point is a lot different and glue, normally PU based, release oxygen to PET
and turns it yellow.
So, if you're looking for perfectly clear material or you have to make a precise color with
recycled flakes, you need to remove all glue content while, for some other application,
you only need a flake with no dirt and careless about glue content.
Everybody now knows how to remove glue while not many understand how much it does cost.
And also, after flakes are gone into any process using caustic, flakes need a good rinsing
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(otherwise your flakes will turn yellow anyway) adding another cost.
For the purpose of washing we did develop our own technology that is a friction washer where
the amount of friction and residence time of flakes can be adjusted by the operator.
The machine is controlled by a simple electronic device that keep the amperage of main motor
constant to the level set by operator and residence time will be accordingly.
This machine does not require steam of heater bands of any kind to make water hot because
it does it by itself, just by the friction created by the rods spinning inside.
We have been told it is too simple to perform well but we do like simple things.
-Out of storage system flakes come dosed to what we call wash-dryer thats nothing but
an horizontal centrifuge working with water in the first part and as a dryer in the second one;
this makes most, if not all, paper to convert to pulp and go through the final screen, so flakes
come out almost paper and surface dirt free before going to first sink-float tank for olefins
separation.
This first wash-dryer has a low power consumption because residence time is not much indeed
but it does a good job because flakes at the outlet look pretty clean (but they arent).
Now everything goes into a sink-float tank to remove floatable that, in our case, are LDPE
and PP labels.
Because olefins have a specific weight less than 1, all labels are supposed to float;
unfortunately doesnt go this way.
First we still have labels glued to the surface of PET and, when together
,the combined flake sinks, and this is fine, but labels stay attached to PET flakes also
because of surface tension of the water itself.
As you may know, surface tension is so strong it can keep floating a coin if you put it flat on the

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surface of water, and this apply to flakes as well.

So we do have to make whatever sinks to sink and floatable to float, removing the
surface tension of water.
How we do this: convey all flakes under the surface of water into the tank and agitating
everything to open up flakes, thus removing the surface tension.
It is compulsory to do this because this line will not have any other separation than sink-float
tanks therefore they have to work in the most efficient way.
After separation from olefins, flakes go to the washing machine thats a machine specialized in
washing.
What washing means: our meaning of washing is take a flake, or whatever else, and heavily
brush it with something, for a certain period of time, better if using hot water and
some detergents.
This is the result of a long study that my grand-grandma did in the past. And still works pretty
well.
Washing under heavy friction does stress the polymer so time is important as well.
After washing, all remaining labels are detached from PET and come loose therefore a second
sink-float tank is required to complete the job.
Drying is the final step of the process.

Hot Washer For PET Flakes (from ASG Recycling Machinery):

DESCRIPTION

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The hot washer for PET flakes is the heart of the PET bottle washing line capable of getting
rid of hard to remove contamination such as glues, oils, grease, and left-over foods/liquids.
For PET recycling, the hot water washing process is essential step in producing high-quality
hot washed PET flakes that sell for much higher prices.
HOW IT WORKS
Unlike any other hot washers in the market today, our patented hot washer design uses a large
screw auger to transmit PET flakes horizontally through a boiling water bath.
This energy-efficient design makes use of tiny holes on the transmit auger that directly sprays
hot water onto the PET flakes from the interior.
Surrounding the screw auger is a large mesh screen tunnel which keeps the PET flakes in place
while smaller contaminants fall through. A diagram of our hot washer has been provided below.

MODELS & SPECIFICATIONS

Model
Number:

Main
Motor
Power:

Shaft
Rotation
Speed:

Boiler
Material:

Conveyor
Power:

Conveyor
Speed:

ZG1700

7.5KW

20 RPM

Type 304
Stainless
Steel

3.7KW/H

20-80 RPM
Frequency
Controlled

High Speed Friction Washer (from ASG Recycling Machinery):

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DESCRIPTION
A brilliant cold washing machine, the high speed
friction washer is a truly efficient piece of machinery
for cleaning PET flakes via the use of friction. In the
case of our standard PET bottle washing line, the
friction washer used cold water to further scrub the
dirt loose directly after the hot washing process.
HOW IT WORKS
At the center of ASGs high speed friction washer lies a long, fast-spinning shaft with many
tilted panels / paddles mounted. Surrounding the rotating shaft is a mesh screen tunnel used
for dewatering and filtrating small contaminants such as dirt. A large rectangular case surrounds
the entire apparatus where water jets and nozzles are aimed at the mesh screen. The entire
machine is set at an incline, around 15 degrees, where the dirty PET flakes are feed into
a vertical feeder located on the lower end. The clean PET flakes exit through the higher end

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where it moves onto the drying phase.

The rotating shaft within ASGs friction washer spins at nearly 1,000 rotations per minute.
As the PET flakes enter this machine, the material is mixed at high speeds within the washer
where friction between each PET flake helps scrub off dirt and debris. Water is continuously
added via water jets that spray at the mesh screen preventing potential clogging that may occur.

MODELS & SPECIFICATIONS

Model
#:

Motor
Power:

Main Shaft
Diameter:

Rotating
Speed:

Capacity:

HXJ400

37KW

400mm

1400 RPM

400 800 KG/H

HXJ550

45KW

550mm

1200 RPM

600 1000
KG/H

HXJ750

55KW

750mm

1080 RPM

1200 2000
KG/H

Drying
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"Drying is one of the difficult step of any plastic washing line."

"Drying is easy when talking about tick flakes of any elastic material."
For example drying HDPE flakes from plastic drums is the easiest job in this world because
thickness is in the range of two or three millimeters, the material is elastic so you can put it into
any spin dryer and you get them dry.
The story becomes a little different when talking about thin flakes out of a film line, and for thin
we mean 20 microns (of millimeter) or less, or brittle materials like Polystyrene, PC, etc.
If your centrifugal dryer leaves one milligram of water per square centimeter and your flakes
weighs one gram, moisture content will be 0,1% and everybody is happy.
Because the centrifuge performs the same way, doesn't matter the thickness of your flakes,
The same one milligram of water per square centimeters means 10% if the flake weighs 0,1 g.
And a thin film flake can weigh way less than this.
We'll talk a little later on this page about what can be done to dry flakes to almost zero but we
would like to talk about centrifugal dryers first and other mechanical drying machinery after this.
Most of everybody uses hot air for final drying, and because hot air cost a lot of energy,
One matter is to start from a moisture content of 2% and a completely other one is a10%
starting point.
So, before sizing the hot air drying system, you better care about the % of moisture out of
your dryer, whatever it is.
We prefer centrifuges for many reasons:
First is the fact we can get a very low moisture content, even with very thin materials,
and very proud of this.

Second because any centrifuge, while drying, it washes as well because it is the combination
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of friction with water presence.

Third because even the most sophisticated centrifuge is nothing but a rotor spinning into
a screen basket that means it is an easy to maintain machine and cannot give lots of problems.
Because the purpose of a centrifuge dryer is to dry, the fact many of these machines are
equipped also with the "static centrifuge" make us die laughing.
If you still have water coming out from the perforated cyclone (the real name of the static
centrifuge) it simply means the centrifuge didn't make its job, that was supposed to be
removing water from flakes.
We don't like also to talk about the "squeezing press" because of simple reason: the concept is
(almost) right but to make one that works the right way cost so much money nobody is prepared
to pay.
So, as far as today, the very best way we know to get plastic flakes dry, is to go with a well
performing centrifuge. Period.
Centrifuges can be very different and the one that makes thin film dry will make 30% fines
running Polystyrene so diameter, shape of the paddles, size of screen holes and may be
something else should change accordingly.
After getting flakes mechanically dry, for some plastics, we will need further drying to get the
best possible quality.
We'll talk about Crystalline Polymers later in this chapter because they need something very
specific.
For all other polymers, what we do suggest, is to get a good extruder with a venting, better with
two, and feed it straight with the flakes you got after the centrifuge.
This what we do in all cases but one; dealing with film, doesn't matter the thickness, washing
and drying is done with flakes of about 30-40 mm. in size and any force feeding accepts only
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way smaller flakes so further cutting is needed.

Because any granulator will make friction by cutting, meaning developing heat, and then,
by blowing, flakes lose some more humidity and by the time they get to the extruder, will be dry
enough for pelletizing.
For all other situation, no hot air is needed because a good centrifuge MUST deliver a flake with
less than 1% mixture and all extruders will be able to easily remove it by venting.
Crystalline Polymers, as we said, need a chapter by its own.

PET and PC in fact don't like the mixture of water (moisture) and heat together plus the fact they are hy
performs the same way even not being crystalline)
So if you dry and leave them in a storage place they will get moisture from the air and the
energy you have been using to dry them is just thrown away.
Drying should occur just before extrusion and moisture content is measured in PPM and not
a percentage.
Both material need a dryer where they stay for sometimes (few hours) with or without vacuum
and this because they should release the moisture that's inside the flakes, or pellets.
If these polymers are not completely dry, during extrusion IV (Intrinsic Viscosity) will decrease
a lot and polymer loses its characteristics.
Mechanical drying at the end of the line should deliver a flake with a moisture content of
0,5-0,6% and after this it will be a dryer unit job to decrease it to nothing
(a good dry flakes should have 20 PPM before extrusion).

Separation
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In this section we'll be talking about separation of different plastic materials and not from
other contaminants.
The systems available are very many but when it goes to costs, the range decreases a lot;
anyway here a list of what's available.
DRY SEPARATION
-

Air classifiers
Mechanical classifiers
NIR (Near Infrared Rays)
Laser spectral analysis
Polarized light
UV light
Colors by fluorescent light
Electrostatic
By melting or softening point
Other methods

WET SEPARATION
-

Sink-float tanks
Hydro cyclones
Sink-float by preferred solvent absorption
Sink-float by hydro phobicity
Froth flotation
Selective dissolution

CHEMICAL SEPARATION
-

Hydrolysis
Glycol sis, hydro glycol sis
Pyrolysis

You will find more details about what we consider to be feasible in common recycling but
here few words about the different systems:

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DRY
- Air separation is used to separate different plastics, or even the same plastic, by the difference
of the ratio between the surface of the flake and its mass; in other words thin thickness flakes
from tick ones.
This is done by an air counter-flow, that means an air flow lifting up light stuff and let down the
rest by gravity.
- Mechanical classifiers are mostly used to separate flakes by size.
In some cases, flakes with different shapes can be taken into consideration by the fact one kind
slides faster than another one.
Classifiers can be circular, flat, inclined, with slow or high frequency vibrations etc.
- NIR are Near Infrared Rays gives a certain quantity of energy to every single piece and
measure the response; this happens in terms of milliseconds.
Its limit is the fact it can be used only on transparent items (mainly to sort PVC from PET
bottles and flakes)
- Laser spectral analysis penetrates the surface and measure emission spectra which depends
upon heat capacity and thermal conductivity so color doesn't matter.
Not largely used because response time is pretty long.
- Polarized light is used to check difference of crystalline therefore it applies to sort PVC from
PET bottles or anyway a mixture of two components.
The limit of this method is the fact bottles need to lined up one by one therefore production rate
will be pretty low.
- UV light is used to separate polymers that exhibit different UV absorption or UV induced
fluorescence.
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To human eyes, PET will stay clear while PVC turns black therefore this is a very common way
to manually sort bottles.
- Fluorescent light is used to sort different colors; a camera check the frequency of response
and diverse different colors.
An array of detectors can be used to sort more than one color.
- Electrostatic separation is a system to attract or repulse different plastics according to their
charge; this makes different plastics to make different movements.
- Polymers can be sorted by the difference of melting point; it's normally used to sort two
polymers by means of an hot conveyor belt or a hot roll working on a conveyor belt where
a mono-layer of flakes is laying down.
One kind will stick while the other falls down by gravity.
- There are some more methods for classifying different plastics in a dry environment,
by the fact some are more brittle than others, by the coefficient of elasticity, by some other
differences in shape etc, and this needs to be evaluated case by case.

WET
- Sink-float tanks are the most common and easy way to separate plastics by density.
Normally plain water is used to separate olefins from other thermoplastics and sometimes water
is added with salts to make it heavier than one, and make to float some polymers while the rest
sinks etc.

- Hydro cyclones enhance the difference of specific weight by centrifugal force so materials with
little difference can be separated as well.
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- Sink-float by preferred solvent absorption is used when two polymers with same specific
weight need to be separated; a solvent (alcohol, ketene, etc) makes one of the two lighter.
The big problem is flammability of solvents and their recovery.
- Hydrophobicity is the dislike of water; some polymers react in a different way when going into
water under certain conditions (air bubbles, mechanical stirring, turbulence, etc.) therefore
separation becomes possible.

- Froth flotation means air bubbles attach one solid promoting floating in a liquid and leave the
other(s) to sink.
Air bubbles have high affinity for water repellent surfaces.
- Selective dissolution means certain polymers dissolve into certain solvent under specific
condition while others remain unaffected.
But we are very close to chemical separation here.

Label removal equipment survey

Operating Overview
De-label machines use mechanical means to rip or tear labels off of PET bottles. A general
approach is that some combination of metal pins and blades are used to tear the label from
the bottle while the bottle passes between a stationary and a rotating drum.
The gap between the drums and the gap between blade and pins influences the efficiency of
removal. The dimensions of the bottle in terms of both volume of the bottle, and whether
it is crushed from baling or loose, are likely to also have an influence on label removal.
Because there are rotating parts, there is wear inside this kind of machine and wear parts must
be changed at some maintenance period. The rate of wear will be influenced by the throughput
of the machine along with rotational speed coupled with the gap settings.
If the gaps are kept small to provide best label removal, there is a likelihood of creating
broken necks where the neck and finish of the PET bottle is entirely separated from the bottle.
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After bottles exit the machine, provision must be made to separate labels from bottles,
and not lose the PET resulting from broken necks.
Sizing the Unit.
Individual PET reclaimers may use a de-label machine in different configurations depending
upon preference and requirements of a given site. In one case, all bottles might be sent through
the de-labeler so that bottles are presented to auto-sorting and manual sorting with a minimum
of interference from labels. But others might chose to position the de-labeler after a sorting step
so that only those bottles with labels, or only those bottles identified as colored bottles by the
auto-sortation machines, go through the de-labeler, and are then passed back to the beginning
of the process. By only running labeled bottles through, a smaller unit can be purchased and
with smaller throughput, wear and maintenance costs are reduced, but with the expense
of isolating the labeled bottles.
There is no standard case, but here is just one illustration to show unit sizing ballparks for one
production scenario:
-50 million lbs/yr plant (input), or 23,000 metric tons per year.
-Running at 80% up-time, and assuming a bale yield of 75%, daily output is 37,800 kg per
day and 1,575 kg per hour of good bottles. For a 10% side stream of labeled bottles, the
de-label
machine will handle 157 kg per hour.
-For a 25% side stream of all labeled and colored bottles, the machine will handle 394 kg per
hour.
Impact of this Equipment to PET Reclaimers
A detailed discussion of machinery purchase, installation and operating costs is outside the
scope of this survey. But we do want to point out the following:
-These de-label machines have a capital cost to buy and require ancillary equipment such
as conveyors to get bottles to and from the machine.
-The plant flow and lay-out for an existing plant may have to be re-worked to accommodate
this unit.
-Sorting equipment and labor used for sorting is impacted. Additional machinery usually
requires additional labor to monitor and maintain the equipment.
-The unit adds to the complexity of the recycling process creating extra operating and
maintenance expense, down time, and opportunities for yield loss.
Conclusion:
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Process

Elutriation

Hydro cyclone

Flake Color
Sorting

Description
Air separation of light fractions using
aspiration and gravity. Limiting factors
include thickness of label vs. water bottle
wall thickness, and loss of good PET
flakes.
Hydrocyclone separation is based on
material density but the process is also
very sensitive to the flake surface to
weight ratio. Typically, flakes are mixed
with water to form slurry. This is then
pumped to a cyclone where separation
takes place. The general rule is that the
floating material will exit through the top
and the sinking material will exit through
the bottom. The separation can also be
affected by the unit configuration and
type of material. In this case, the shrink
sleeve film has a very high ratio and can
be separated from thicker bottle flake
when the proper hydro cyclone
configuration is used. Also, some shrink
sleeve flake curled in the hot wash
process and air entrapment will make
them float.
Some shrink sleeve flakes curl in the hot
wash process. Because the ink is inside
the curled film, most of the time, ink is
not removed from those pieces.
Therefore, some of those curled pieces
are not identified and thus not separated
when going through a flake color sorter.

Efficiency

5-20% with
PET loss of
0.2%

10-90% (when
used with
centrifugal
dryers)

5-20%

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Flake Electrostatic
Sorting

Most of the shrink sleeve films are made

either of PETG, PVC or PS. Those
materials can be separated from PET
using electrostatic flake sorters.
Materials in an electrostatic sorter are
agitated together in order to generate
charges on each pieces of flake (positive
or negative). Flakes are then fed onto a
belt conveyor. At the end of the belt
conveyor, the flakes are moving through
the air close to a high voltage cylinder.
The flake path is then modified based on
the charges on each piece and collected
in different chutes.

75-95%

Elutriator

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Hydrocyclone

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IV. EXTRUDER:
The Extrusion Process
Many geometrical shapes are possible when using the extrusion process. The most
common product form is thin film, either flat or tubular. Other extruded products include
pipe and tubing, coated paper or foil, monofilaments and textile fibers, flat sheet
(anything over 0.010 inch (0.25 mm)), wire and cable covering, and a great variety of
profiles such as window frames, gaskets, channels and house siding. The products can
be cut to length or rolled up as needed.

Typical Resins
Typical plastic resins used in extrusion include but are not limited
to: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene, acetal, acrylic, nylon(polyamides), polystyrene, pol
yvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate

What is Profile Extrusion?

Profile extrusion is extrusion of a shaped product that can be a variety of configurations
but does not include sheet or film products. Profile extrusion can include solid forms as
well as hollow forms. Products ranging from tubing to window frames to vehicle door
seals are manufactured this way and considered profile extrusion.
To process hollow shapes a pin or mandrel is utilized inside the die to form the hollow
sections. Multiple hollow sections require multiple pins. To create these hollows a
source of air is required to allow the center of the product to maintain shape and not
collapse in a vacuum. Usually an air source will be utilized to keep the correct airflow in
the cavity.

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If two or more materials are required to make a product, the co-extrusion process is
used. For example, a white drinking straw that has 2 colors of stripes on it, requires a
total of 3 extruders. Each extruder feeds a different material or variation of the same
material into a central co-extrusion die.

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Extrusion Methods
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By plasticizing, there are dry extrusion and wet extrusion processes and by pressurizing
there are continuous and intermittent extrusion processes
Continuous production yields a high efficiency, simple operation for a wide range of
applications, such as tubing extrusion, sheet/film extrusion etc.
Profile Extrusion
The Profile Extrusion process, such as drinking straws and medical tubing, is
manufactured the same as a regular extrusion process up until the die. Placing a pin or
mandrel inside the die extrudes hollow sections, and in most cases positive pressure is
applied to the internal cavities through the pin.
Tubing with multiple lumens (holes) must use tooling made for specialty applications.
For these applications, the tooling is made by placing more than one pin in the center of
the die to produce the number of lumens necessary. In most cases, these pins are
supplied with air pressure from different sources. This way, the individual lumen sizes
can be adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the individual pins.
Co-Extrusion
Co-Extrusion is the extrusion of multiple layers of material simultaneously. This type of
extrusion utilizes two or more extruders to melt and deliver a steady volumetric
throughput of different viscous resins to a single die and extrude the resin in the desired
form. This process can be used in a variety of extrusion processes (blown film, profile or
sheet). The layer thicknesses are controlled by the relative speeds and sizes of the
individual extruders delivering the materials.
There are a wide range of reasons why a manufacturer may choose co-extrusion over
single layer extrusion. One example is in the vinyl fencing industry, where co-extrusion
is used to tailor the layers based on whether they are exposed to the weather or not.
Usually a thin layer of compound that contains expensive weather resistant additives
are extruded on the outside while the inside has an additive package that is more suited
for impact resistance and structural performance.
Extrusion Coating
Extrusion coating is used in a blown or cast film process to coat an additional layer onto
an existing roll stock of paper, foil or film. For example, this process can be used to
improve the characteristics of paper by coating it with polyethylene to make it more
resistant to water. The extruded layer can also be used as an adhesive to bring two
other materials together.
Sheet/film Extrusion
For products such as plastic sheet or film, cooling is achieved by pulling material
through a set of cooling rolls, usually 3 or 4 in number. Running material too fast creates
an undesirable condition called "nerve" which is basically inadequate contact time given
to dissipate the heat present in the extruded plastic. In sheet extrusion, these rolls not
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only deliver the necessary cooling but also determine sheet thickness and surface
texture.
Often co-extrusion is used to apply one or more layers on top of a base material to
obtain specific properties such as UV-absorption, soft touch or "grip", matte surface or
energy reflection where it is needed.
A common post-extrusion process for plastic sheet stock is thermoforming where the
sheet is heated until soft and then formed via a mold into a new shape. Thermoforming
can range from line bended pieces to more complex shapes such as computer
housings. These more complex forms which often resemble injection molded parts and
can be attributed to the various possibilities in thermoforming, such
as inserts, undercuts and divided molds.
Plastic sheet and film extrusion onto paper is the basis of the liquid packaging industry.
Juice cartons, wine boxes as well as the food packaging industry utilize this process.
Blown film Extrusion
This process is used to manufacture plastic film for products such as shopping bags .
Blown film is similar to any regular extrusion until it reaches the die. The die is an
upright cylinder with an annular opening similar to a pipe extrusion die. The molten resin
is pulled upwards from the die by a pair of nip rolls high above the die. Changing the
speed of these nip rollers will change the gauge or wall thickness of the film. Around the
die sits a cooling ring that blows air onto the film tube as it travels past. The airflow
cools the film as it travels upwards. In the center of the die is an air outlet trough which
compressed air can be forced into the inside of the extruded cylindrical profile, adjusting
the bubble volume. The film can then be slit, spooled, printed on or cut into shapes and
heat sealed into bags or other items.
Compound Extrusion
Compound extrusion is a process that mixes one or more polymers with additives to
create a plastic compound. The feed stock may be pellets, powder and/or liquids, but
the product is usually in pellet form and used in other plastic-forming processes such as
extrusion and injection molding. Machine size varies from tiny lab machines to the
biggest extruders in the industry, running as much as 20 tons per hour, as used by the
chemical companies that make base resins. Usually twin-screw extruders are preferred
because they offer superior mixing at lower melt temperatures. Most of these have
screws and barrels comprised of smaller segments (mixing, conveying, venting and
additive feeding) so that the design can be changed to meet the production and product
needs. Single-screw extruders can be used for compounding as well, especially with
appropriate screw design and static mixers after the screw. Selection of the components
to be mixed (viscosities, additive carriers) is as important as the equipment.

3-D Printer Filament Extrusion

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Low-cost 3-D printers use extrusion to fabricate 3-D plastic objects. The filament used
as feedstock in these 3-D printers is itself extruded either conventionally through
industrial high-rate extruders or other common extruders.

Profile Extrusion Equipment

Profiles may consist of a single material or multiple materials. Single material profiles
utilize one extruder while multiple material profiles require more than one extruder to
feed material into a central die. These processes can utilize single screw or twin-screw
extruders. Single screw machines are focused on pelletized materials or applications
requiring less true mixing. Twin-screw extruders are usually focused on powdered
materials or where more intensive mixing is required. These extruders can be of a
variety of sizes from a few pounds per hour of output up to thousands of pounds per
hour output depending on the application.

Extruder With Vacuum Sizing Tank

Co-Extrusion
Secondary extruders are called co-extruders and can also be a variety of sizes but
normally fall toward the smaller end of the spectrum and are normally smaller than the
main processing extruders. The number of co-extruders used is limited only by the
space in the processing line. Some processes can cheat by utilizing the same coextruder for multiple application requirements (as long as the material required is
identical the co-extruder can be utilized for more than one location. (An example of this
is stripes on the outside of drinking straws. If the strips are the same color, one machine
can be used for all the strips). Co-extruders can be mounted on the floor or suspended
over the die head as required.

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Extruder With Vacuum Sizing Tank and Spray Tanks

Die Tooling
Die tooling is application specific and can be a simple metal plate with a hole in it for the
material to flow through, or a sophisticated multiple components affair designed for
advanced flow characteristics and precision sizing. Dies are mounted either to the main
extruder directly with the co-extruders connecting into it, or the die is on a floor stand
with extruders piped to it. The Die tooling is oriented in one of two directions is relation
to the main extruder. The directions are inline and crosshead. The inline process
utilizes a flow that follows the extruder direction and the die is connected with flow in the
process direction. The crosshead process utilizes a flow that is at an angle to the flow of
the extruder. For profile extrusion this would be at a ninety degree angle to the flow.
(Crosshead processes are required for any product requiring a component to be
inserted into the extrudes for coating. Such as wire, pull-truded products, etc.
Downstream equipment
Downstream equipment is separated into three areas of the process:
1) Cooling/sizing, 2) Pulling, 3) Cut/Coil/Takeoff. Below are the main styles of
equipment to achieve these process requirements.

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V. Usage of Recycled PET:

Next, the flakes pass through what is known as a float/sink classifier. During this
process, PET flakes, which are heavier than water, sink in the classifier, while base
cups made from high-density polyethylene plastic (HDPE) and caps and rings made
from polypropylene plastic (PP), both of which are lighter than water, float to the top.
The ability of the float/sink stage to yield pure PET flakes is dependent upon the
absence of any other plastics that might also be heavier than water and sink with the
PET. This is discussed later in the document in the section on contamination. It should
be noted that some reclaimers use a different device known as a hydro cyclone to
perform this same step. This device essentially operates like a centrifuge and separates
materials based on their weight (density) differences. Following the float/sink stage the
flakes are thoroughly dried.
After they have dried, the PET flakes pass through what is known as an electrostatic
separator, which produces a magnetic field to separate PET flakes from any aluminum
that might be present as a result of bottle caps and tennis ball can lids and rings. Some
reclaimers use a number of different particle separation technologies where PET flakes
are further processed to remove any residual contaminants that may still be present,
such as x-ray separation devices for PVC removal, or optical sorting devices to remove
other contaminants. The purity level to which PET flakes are processed depends on the
endues applications for which they are intended.
Once all of these processing steps have been completed, the PET plastic is now in a
form known as clean flake. In some cases reclaimers will further process clean flake in
a repelletizing stage, which turns the flake into pellet.
Clean PET flake or pellet is then processed by reclaimers or converters which
transform the flake or pellet into a commodity-grade raw material form such as fiber,
sheet, or engineered or compounded pellet, which is finally sold to end-users to
manufacture new products.
Recycled PET is manufactured into numerous products. The five major generic enduse categories for recycled PET plastic are 1) packaging applications (such as new
bottles), 2) sheet and film applications (including some thermoforming applications,
such as laundry scoops), 3) strapping, 4) engineered resins applications (such as
reinforced components for automobiles), and, 5) fiber applications (such as carpets,
fabrics and fiberfill).

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There are a number of emerging technologies that are generically referred to as

depolymerization processes. These processes -- like glycol sis and methanol sis
break down the PET plastic into its individual chemical components, which can then be
recombined back into PET plastic. While not used extensively, these technologies are
employed when the economics warrant and offer yet another market opportunity for
postconsumer PET plastic containers. One of the highest value end-uses for recycled
PET is to manufacture new PET bottles and containers. However, PET can be recycled
into numerous other products including:
belts blankets, boat hulls business cards, caps, car parts (bumpers, distributor caps,
and exterior panels) , carpets, egg cartons, furniture, insulation, landfill liners, overhead
transparencies , paint brush bristles, pillows, polyester fabric for upholstery, T-shirts,
sweaters, backpacks, athletic wear, shoes, recycling bins, sails, scouring pads ,
strapping, stuffing for ski jackets, cushions, mattresses, sleeping bags , tennis ball and
cans

VI. References:
Materials:
http://www.napcor.com/PET/whatispet.html
http://www.utapgroup.com/
http://polycarbonate-sheet.org.uk/
http://www.perspex.co.uk/products/polystyrene/general-purpose-polystyrene-sheet-(gpps)/

Shredders:
http://www.wastecare.com/Articles/Small-Grinders-ShreddersGranulators.htm
( Components definitions )
http://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/shredder-selection-basics/
( Types of shredder )
http://www.sinoshredder.com/what-is-the-difference-between-single-shaftshredder-and-double-shaft-shredder/
( Shredding mechanism )
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http://www.slideshare.net/akshay8989/plastic-shredding-machine
( Important paper in plastic shredder )

Washers and driers:

http://www.petbottlewashingline.com/
http://www.ledarecycling.it/
CHENDING Machinery
ASG Recycling Machinery
Zhangjiagang Kooen Machinery Co
-APR Label design guidelines
-VIABILITY OF ON-SITE RECYCLING UNIT, GARDNER, ANDREW ALTON, The
University of Arizona.

Extruders:
http://www.ptonline.com/knowledgecenter/Profile-Extrusion/
http://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/processes/default.asp

Output:
http://www.cwc.org/pet_bp/1-00-01.pdf

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