Heterogeneous raw materials require customised solutions

Everyone is talking about the circular economy - what significance do you see here for your company?

Recycling is an increasingly important growth sector for us. The pressure from consumers, but also from legislators, to use recycled materials is increasing. Recycled materials are being used more and more frequently, especially in the plastics industry. This requires customised and new solutions for processing these materials - and we at AZO are developing and already have solutions for this.

What is the situation like for you in the plastics sector?

In the plastics industry, we differentiate between chemical and mechanical recycling. Regardless of which process or route we look at here, it is simply the case that the availability of recyclates on the market is still a problem in some cases. Manufacturers have to look at where they can get these raw materials from. Ultimately, this also means that they have to buy from different dealers in different countries, which leads to a change in the quality of the raw materials. There are also differences in the properties, such as the flow characteristics.

What typical problems arise due to the different properties of the materials to be recycled?

Regrind, i.e. shredded material, is often used in the recycling process. Sometimes these regrind materials are extremely light, such as shredded film shreds, and other times they are poorly flowing and quickly become entangled. In the case of film waste, for example, these are light flakes; when these materials are stored in the container, they often don't want to come out on their own. Sometimes you have to help them out. This heterogeneity of raw materials in particular causes problems for manufacturers. As a manufacturer of material handling systems, we can offer solutions for processing such difficult raw materials, thereby solving the difficulties faced by manufacturers and ensuring consistent end product quality.

What role does collaboration with customers and trialling solutions for specific use cases play in this?

That is very important. Our alarm bells ring when someone says "We have regrind". We have to be very careful, because it doesn't always work equally well in the process. It is therefore important for us to receive samples from our customers and carry out tests in our technical centre to see how these raw materials behave. We experience time and time again that a raw material seems good-natured at the beginning but ends up causing problems. That's why it's important for us as a manufacturer and also for our customers to carry out tests in order to avoid problems for the customer.

What current solutions does AZO offer for plastics recycling?

For example, we have developed special discharge systems with which regrind can be reliably discharged. These include agitators, vibrating floors and machines with special geometries that prevent the product from sticking and bridging. Separators with particularly large outlet cross-sections and without interfering contours simplify the emptying of recyclates. In addition, in some applications - especially when processing material containing glass fibres - the wear protection of the systems also plays a role.

Event notice: 24 - 26 September 2024, FACHPACK

The European trade fair for processes, technology and trends in the packaging industry also has a lot to offer on the subject of chemical recycling:

• Lecture “Chemical recycling as an indispensable building block of a circular plastics industry”, 25.09.2024, 15:30 h
• Interview “From Waste to New Product: When Will Chemical Recycling Come?”, FACHPACK360°
• Article “Chemical Recycling: A Key to the Circular Economy in the Plastics Industry?”, FACHPACK360°