PET Bottle Recycling System

A new and unique solution for recycling PET bottles has been developed by Retech Recycling Technology, Sweden, which is simpler and less expensive than existing systems. The PET 500 recycling plant handles 500 kg/h and is marketed under the registered trade mark of System Redoma®. The system transforms dirty PET bottles into clean flakes which is a valuable export commodity. The PET flakes can be used in a wide range of applications after further extrusion and pelletizing. The recycled PET material can be used for manufacturing a wide range of products, for example as fibre material in carpeting, for stuffing cushions, toys, etc , for insulation in sleeping bags and clothes. It is used for sheeting, for thermo-forming of insulation materials, car flooring and various types of containers, packaging materials, measuring cups, etc. Pelletized PET can be used for injection moulding to produce various parts for the automobile industry, etc. Initially used for fibre manufacturing in the 1940s and 1950s, and now mainly used for bottle manufacturing, demand for PET has grown and continues to increase rapidly. During the last decade, consumption in Europe increased from 300,000 tonnes per annum to 1.5 million tonnes. In many countries, used PET bottles are still thrown away, but collection and recycling is a growing business. Many countries already have legislation demanding recycling of PET bottles and this pressure is expected to grow in all countries. The new REDOMA system is simpler and requires a much lower initial investment than the huge industrial systems set up in USA and Western Europe, and is therefore very attractive for the less wealthy countries. And the whole plant is environmentally friendly – no harmful substances are released into the atmosphere or the drainage system or into the outside environment at all. The PET 500 plant shreds PET bottles to flakes, removing contaminants, labels, etc, to produce a clean, quality end-product. Loose PET bottles or bales are dumped into a loading bin. When full, the loading bin is discharged into a storage bin specially designed to move the bottles slowly forward and discharge them onto a conveyor. Bales are broken up inside this bin. At this stage some hand sorting is carried out to remove any undesirable items (glass, loose metal, other plastic or paper, etc). The bottles then enter the rough chopper which reduces them to pieces of about 30mm, followed by a primary label separation. The flakes then pass through a float/sink system which removes caps, ring pulls etc and then into the washing, rinsing and drying system. After this the flakes are chopped again down to 10 mm. Remaining labels are removed in a secondary separator and then the clean flakes are deposited in collecting bins or bags. The system can process up to 500 kg per hour, including loosely baled bottles. It is attractive because of the relatively low operating cost. It has a user-friendly design, easy to operate and service with minimum requirements for spare. The manufacturer also offers optional machinery to separate metals from the flakes and to separate PET flakes from PVC or PEN flakes, and also special pelletizing equipment. For further information contact Retech Recycling Technology, Sweden: tel 46-40-437090, fax 46-40-437523. E-mail: info@redoma.com Website: www.redoma.com