Vacurema machines recycle up to 6 tonnes of PET per hour
DEMAND for high-performance solutions for bottle-to-bottle recycling is increasing worldwide. Given this trend, the specifications for PET recycling machines to handle higher capacities are also growing. With its Vacurema® technology, Erema is now able to offer systems that achieve throughputs of up to six tonnes per hour, which is substantial.
“While the bottle-to-bottle market initially tended towards 3-tonne machines, over the past three years we have been seeing increasing demand for PET recycling solutions with throughputs over three tonnes per hour,” said Christoph Wöss, business development manager for the bottle segment at Erema in Austria.
In total, a dozen Vacurema machines with throughput capacities of four to six tonnes have been installed and commissioned worldwide since 2020.
“Together, these large recycling machines produce almost 350,000 tonnes of rPET per year, which is a clear sign that this order of magnitude is now commonplace in the industry,” added Christoph Wöss.
The Vacurema technology achieves impressively efficient decontamination and gentle IV treatment and fulfils the strict requirements of the European and North American food safety authorities. Even the basic version produces food-grade rPET, providing the basis for a wide range of end applications. Whether the pellets are then used with SSP for IV adjustment for bottle-to-bottle or high IV applications, an additional upstream vacuum treatment enables direct connection to preform production, or the material is processed inline into sheets or fibres.
Vacunite technology
Applications with especially high material quality requirements are covered by advanced Vacunite® technology, also from Erema. It combines the proven Vacurema system with integrated vacuum-assisted SSP in a nitrogen atmosphere. This combination further optimises the material properties and significantly reduces the yellowing of the pellets, which is an important quality factor in bottle-to-bottle recycling.
What is more, the closed nitrogen cycle and optimised process control ensure even lower nitrogen consumption, and ultimately, a particularly efficient and environmentally friendly process. Vacunite technology is available on machines for throughputs of up to 2500 kilograms per hour that feature particularly low energy consumption and a compact design.