Back

(Photo credit: Herbold)

Recycling

New hot washing system at HERBOLD’s test centre

Meckesheim, Germany

The plant manufacturer Herbold Meckesheim will expand its test centre with a new hot washing plant by the end of the year as a consequence of the fast growing demand for superior recycled plastic (aim: “similar to virgin”).

For several years, Herbold has been operating a washing test centre on an industrial scale in which customers, potential buyers, planners and researchers can test and simulate recycling processes way beyond laboratory level.

This plant is going to be expanded by a suitable hot washing step. “The new hot washing system replaces the previous pilot plant with which we have been developing the hot washing technology for polyolefin to market maturity in recent years. The new system is far more than a simple hot washing reactor and represents the latest state of technology as it is also implemented in our large-scale plants”, according to Achim Ebel, division manager for washing plants.

The plant allows customers to test the treatment of rigid plastics and films with an output of up to 1,000 Kg/h also in the hot washing system. The plant has been designed for continuous operation and operates in line with the existing hydrocyclone washing plant.

It can be verified whether and how an improvement of the final product is achievable. Especially common in the PET recycling, the hot washing system was traditionally used to remove adhesives with which labels were glued on bottles. The hot washing system is on its way to a demanded process step in the recycling of polyolefin and other plastics; anywhere where complicated residual material, heavy contamination, persistent odours are to be treated or just simply highest quality is demanded. With the hot washing system, a considerable reduction of organic contamination is achieved

Herbold Meckesheim has delivered a number of plants for hot washing of PET, polyolefin and other plastic materials in recent years and worked for a wide know-how. This is what the pilot plant is now to offer to other projects.

www.herbold.com

PETnology's Resource Guide
comPETence center

The comPETence center provides your organisation with a dynamic, cost effective way to promote your products and services.

Find out more

Cover
Our premium articles
comPETence
magazine

Find our premium articles, interviews, reports and more
in 3 issues in 2024.

Find out more
Current issue