Due to their properties, household waste, supermarket film, agricultural film and input materials from similar sources place high demands on the recycling process. The quality of the recycled pellets depends largely on the gentle treatment of the melt and the effective removal of impurities. To meet these kinds of challenges, EREMA has developed the new INTAREMA TVEplus DuaFil Compact. The recycling machine manufacturer is presenting the system at NPE from May 6 to 10, 2024. Another highlight: ReFresher technology for odor-optimized and food-safe recycled polyolefin pellets has now reached a total capacity of one million tons per year worldwide.
"The potential for plastics recycling on the American market is enormous," says Robert Wahlmüller, CEO of EREMA North America in the run-up to NPE 2024. "Our order books are well filled and we have a promising outlook for the new financial year that has just started". At its trade show stand, the company is placing a special focus on the INTAREMA series, underlining EREMA's broad offering for the post consumer sector. First launched at the K 2022 trade fair in Düsseldorf, the INTAREMA TVEplus DuaFil Compact double filtration system is the industry benchmark for recycling challenging materials with high levels of contamination and moisture, such as film waste with paper labels from commercial waste, agricultural film and washed film from household waste. "The INTAREMA TVEplus DuaFil Compact is our energy-saving innovation featuring safe and particularly high performance degassing and filtration. Now we are demonstrating live this high-throughput, compact system to the American public at NPE 2024," says Wahlmüller.
A key feature of the machine is the consistently gentle treatment of the melt throughout the entire process. This is the result of combining the TVEplus system with the new DuaFil Compact technology. Thanks to the compact configuration of the machine, the extruder screw is 10 L/D (length-to-diameter ratio) shorter compared to the previous EREMA double filtration solution, and there is no longer a need for the discharge metering zone. The melt is processed more gently overall, also because a dedicated melt pump is used to increase the pressure upstream of the second filtration unit. "Our DuaFil Compact technology decouples pressure and temperature build-up, which reduces the overall melt temperature so that it reaches its highest temperature in the "plus zone" of the extruder prior to degassing," explains Clemens Kitzberger, Business Development Manager of Post Consumer Applications at the EREMA Group. This increases the degassing volume by up to 33 percent, while at the same time reducing retention time and energy consumption. "This new development is based on feedback from the market, including from American customers," emphas Kitzberger.
When recycling DSD 323-2 (flexible PE and PP household waste), for example, the new INTAREMA 1108 TVEplus DuaFil Compact reaches a melt temperature upstream of the second filter unit that is around 22 degrees Celsius lower, with around 11 percent lower specific energy consumption (kWh/kg) and around 14 percent higher throughput compared to the previous EREMA solution.
INTAREMA TVEplus DuaFil Compact in action in Chile
Since K 2022, EREMA has sold around 20 INTAREMA TVEplus DuaFil Compact systems. The first machines have been delivered and have now entered operation. At RECUPAC S.A., for example, a recycling and waste disposal company based in Chile.
"As the business unit for waste management at Coipsa, a group of packaging companies in Chile that are fully integrated in all phases of the circular economy, we process more than 150,000 tons of different materials every year," says Philippe Morizon, General Manager at RECUPAC. Plastics recycling is a relatively new field for the company. For their first machine, they decided on an INTAREMA 1512 TVEplus DuaFil Compact. The objective is to produce high-quality recycled pellets suitable for making film. "Our customers have very high quality specifications, which is why we chose an EREMA machine," emphas Morizon. "With this compact recycling machine, we can produce high-quality pellets that are used to make film and can be used for other applications in the packaging sector. There were many arguments in favour of this machine, including its high overall efficiency. Particularly important factors were its low energy consumption and high degree of automation, which saves on operating personnel. I am confident we will meet our customers' expectations, and the initial results are very promising."
RECUPAC also operates a Lindner washing system. In August last year, EREMA Group joined forces with the waste management specialist and founded a new holding company. The two companies want to work together to increase the energy efficiency of the overall process and further improve recyclate quality through technical cooperation.
