The Netherlands – Innovative Limburg-based business Blue Plastics is getting ready to build a facility for recycling plastics that are challenging to handle, including PE foils.
By 2024, the facility, capable of processing 4 tons of plastic per hour, must be operational. The new installation in Chemelot is receiving a 21 million euro investment from the corporation.
The recycling of films and foils is the company’s primary focus. The raw ingredients used to make thin films and foils must be extremely pure. Otherwise, there is a great likelihood that there will be issues during the production process. This indicates that incorporating recycled plastics into the manufacturing process is challenging.
To create thin plastic sheets and foils suited for reuse, Blue Plastics developed the CleanBlueTech process. Flexible plastic (films and foils) are cleaned with a biodegradable solvent during this process. The material is transformed into high-quality, spotless, odorless flakes (granules) that can be utilized again in the manufacture of plastics in just 15 minutes.
Improved washing efficiency
Water is typically used to wash plastics. The other issue is that as a result, they do not have an odor. Without the need of water, washing is accomplished with this novel method. As a result, washing is completed more quickly and effectively at lower temperatures (using 70% less energy). Additionally, the technology totally recycles the biodegradable solvent.
Blue Plastics partners with a neighborhood trash management business to collect the required raw materials. TCR Plastics purchases the product and sells it to European film companies.
Three tons of plastic per hour will be produced from the installation’s four tons of plastic processing capacity. Processing of PE film will start first. Later on, the business plans to process other polymers.
