Plastic Recycling : Purecycle and Machinex open new pre-processing plastics facility
Machinex teams up with PureCycle Technologies Inc. to deliver a fully automated sorting system in Denver, USA, dedicated to plastics recycling. PureCycle, a leader in polypropylene recycling, transforms this material into ultra-pure recycled resin, enabling it to be reused multiple times as a sustainable resource. The new facility has a processing capacity of 10 metric tons per hour, operating without any manual sorting.
PureCycle sought an advanced system to efficiently eliminate contaminants and extract polypropylene (PP) from bales containing a mix of PP and other valuable materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These bales, typically sourced from material recovery facilities (MRFs) or post-industrial PP plants, often fail to meet the desired purity level of at least 90% for PP. To address this challenge, PureCycle turned to Machinex for their expertise in plastic sorting technologies, including the Mach Hyspec® optical sorters and SamurAI® sorting robots, which significantly reduce the reliance on manual labor.
PureCycle’s CEO, Dustin Olson, shared his thoughts: “It was great to work with Machinex on the development of our first regional pre-processing (PreP) facility. The Machinex technology and their team helped to quickly turn it into a professional, efficient PreP operation. Most importantly, it has allowed us to feed our flagship purification facility in Ohio with a more pure feedstock stream.”
Mission for sustainability
The facility's equipment includes four MACH Hyspec® optical sorters, two II-RAM balers, two SamurAI® sorting robots, an Eddy Current, a magnet, and a Mach trommel™. Additionally, the MACH Intell™ business intelligence platforms installed on the SamurAI® robots provide crucial data collection and reporting to optimize equipment performance. After HDPE and PET are separated from the material stream, these commodities can be sold to other recyclers for reuse.
Chris Hawn, CEO of Machinex Technologies, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: “Partnering with PureCycle represents a strategic advancement for Machinex in our efforts to advance the plastics recycling landscape. This collaboration showcases the performance of our sorting technologies in a high-demand application, specifically in multi-grade plastics recycling. We appreciate the trust PureCycle placed in us to complete this project and are proud to witness them achieve their expected results.”
This partnership highlights Machinex’s dedication to delivering state-of-the-art sorting solutions while supporting PureCycle’s mission to foster a sustainable circular economy for plastics.