APK Newcycling® - heading for 'un-recyclable' plastic packaging With the EU Commissions’ 2020 Green Deal and an ambitious new Circular Economy Action Plant the plastics and packaging industries are challenged to deliver on clear definitions of recycled content, raising quality of recyclates and creating volumes (Circular Plastics Alliance: 10 mio t by 2025 in products on the market in the EU). Meeting these demands means closing plastic cycles for products that could not be closed up to now – such as post-consumer multi-layer packaging waste. APK’s technology is targeting these ‘unclosed loops’ by driving mechanical recycling a decisive step further and adding a solvent-based purification step. Initially APK is concentrating on pre-consumer (post-industrial) PE/PA film combinations. Further mixes such as PE/PP have been testes successfully- The soon to be realized goal is the recycling of post-consumer material streams. Regarding the process: first step is a site reduction of PE/PA rolls and bales to bring the material into a flake shape enlarging the specific surface. Second step is the conveying into a solvent-bath, where the PE is physically dissolved and the PA remains solid. Afterwards a special solid-liquid separation is applied to separate the polymer solution and the PA-flakes. Finally, the solvent is devolatized in both material streams and both materials are extruded to bring them to pellet-shape. Key is the recirculation of the solvent, that is cleaned inline. The targeted use of solvents in combination with mechanical recycling holds concrete benefits with regard to chemical recycling approaches: the polymer is retained and so is the energy invested in its polymerization. Recyclate produced with APK’s Newcycing® technology holds decisive emissions reduction potential compared to conventional mechanical and also chemical recycling processes.

APK Newcycling® : Heading for 'un-recyclable' plastic packaging

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.