The Solution to Recycling PET Plastics
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a thermoplastic widely used across the world. PET is prized for its thermo-stability and can be recycled up to 7 times before thermal degradation will undermine its crystalline structure. This stability has made PET the most recycled plastic in the world today, with 92% of local councils in the UK collecting PET for recycling.
With the coming introduction of the “Plastics Tax” will place a huge incentive for plastic producers to utilise more recycled plastics in their products. The proposed tax will be applied to every product made from plastic that contains less the 30% of recycled polymer. This shift in government legislation is set to improve the market for recycled granulate considerably.
This is a huge win for both the environment and the recycling industry as a whole. At Rotajet we have seen a huge increase in the demand for efficient and robust plastic washing and separation technologies. We currently have standard lines, varying in capacity between 500 Kg to 3 metric tonnes per hour. Below is a breakdown of a standard PET recycling line into its constituent process stages.
Feed Hopper
Pre Washer
Separation
Granulator
Drying
Bagging off
- RJ-FH12-TW – Material is loaded in batches into a Rotajet feed hopper which is fitted with a inverter driven screw to provide consistent feed to the plant. This multi-screw system avoids bridging and blockages remotely by adjusting the direction and speed of the screw augers, reducing machine downtime and improving your overall throughput rate.
- RJ-PWS-75 – The material is fed from the hopper into the Rotajet pre-washer to remove the majority of the contamination. This efficient incline plastic washer is fitted with inline filtration and automatic chemical dosing.
- RJ-HKS-50 – A Rotajet sink-float tank is then used to separate the PET from contaminants such as PP, PE, paper, wood and others. The floating fraction is screwed to bagging off for disposal whilst the sinking fraction is transferred into the next stage.
- RJ-GR – This powerful wet granulator ensures an even particle size so your final product is suitable for resale into the market. Durable and efficient, our granulators are completely welded and have a heavy steel construction making them capable of withstanding the most demanding requirements present in the industry.
- RJ-MD-55 – This horizontal mechanical dryer is the most efficient way of dewatering granulated and shredded plastics. Our mechanical dryers can reduce moisture levels for rigid plastics down to around 1%. The machine is fitted with a Rotor which rotates at high speed (approx. 1450rpm). To ensure our dryers are simple to maintain, the rotor is fitted with easy to change wear paddles manufactured from D2 steel.
- RJ-DB-ZZ – Finally a zig-zag separator is used to remove any remaining fines, ensuring a product quality suitable for extrusion.
To get advice about how this system can be installed at your facility get in touch with our technical team on the link below and we will be in touch.