Composite Material Recycling Pilot Plant to Use Micro-Emulsions in Germany

German recycling technology supplier, Saperatec is currently commissioning an industrial pilot facility capable of recycling of composite packaging materials, solar PV panels and lithium-ion batteries at its headquarters in Bielefeld. The company explained that it has developed and patented a process for the processing of plastic-plastic and plastic-aluminium laminate packaging. In addition to processing packaging materials and beverage cartons, the plant is also said to be capable to of recycling automobile glass and photovoltaic modules and lithium-ion batteries Saperatec claimed that its use of sophisticated micro-emulsion offers a completely new possibility to separate composite materials and, thus, to recover the individual components as clean secondary raw materials. The entire separation process is realised inside the plant, from treating the composite material in the micro-emulsion, via the washing of the separated materials, all the way to the recirculation of the micro-emulsion and sorting of the individual fractions obtained. The Process According to the company, the entire process for obtaining saleable products from composite waste is as follows: Crushing: The first stage is to reduce the size of the material to create as much contact surface for the micro-emulsion as possible and to simplify material handling in the process. Sapartec Micro-Emulsion:: The core process involves treating the shredded composite material in the micro-emulsion. The separation process is conducted with stirring and at a low temperature (ca. 40°C) and finally the individual fractions appear in the micro-emulsion. Washing: First the products are filtered out and the micro-emulsion is reconditioned. Then the products are cleaned with washing water and the washing water is also reconditioned. Sorting: The now clean products are sorted using conventional procedures (float-sink, sifting, …) and obtained individually. Drying: A final drying stage is required, if necessary, to make the products saleable. “Per year, composite materials with a value of more than a billion Euros are thrown away,” explained Saperatec’s managing director, Jörg Dockendorf. “With a recycling quota of 100%, our wet-chemical process provides for a sustainable raw materials industry.” Co-managing director, Sebastian Kernbaum, added: “With this plant, which can process up to 500 tonnes of composite material waste per year, we are proving the industrial readiness of our patented process.” The company said that it will shortly being begin working on customer-tailored project in which it will license the process for the customer’s industrial plants and will provide the appropriate micro-emulsions. Read More Boeing to Recycle Carbon Fibre from America's Cup Yacht Chicago headquartered aircraft manufacturer, Boeing [NYSE: BA] and sailing team ORACLE TEAM USA, winner of the 34th America’s Cup, are collaborating to recycle 3175 kg of carbon fibre from the 2003 America’s Cup yacht, USA-71. Microwave Ready Packaging As product and packaging manufacturers seek to shrink and lighten materials, one item that's increasingly taking the market by storm is laminated packing. As the importance of recycling this waste stream grows, research has been published into a Microwave Induced Pyrolysis technology that promises to recover both energy and materials from such packaging. WMW investigates. Crab Shells Used to Recycle Metals from PCB Manufacturing Waste Invotec Group, has joined a project to use wastes from the seafood industry to recycle metals from the effluent generated in PCB and related manufacturing processes.