A compact footprint and high throughput are increasingly decisive key parameters in post consumer recycling. EREMA is responding to this by upscaling the Intarema series and launching the 2021 model without a cascade at the K 2025. Another trend is the increasing number of food-grade applications, with EREMA supplying recycling systems that guarantee the highest quality levels, and actively supporting its customers in the authorisation process. A factor that increases added value in post-consumer recycling is the company's joint venture with Lindner Washtech, ensuring a well-balanced end-to-end process.
Legal requirements, above all the EU packaging and packaging waste directive (PPWR), and the sustainability goals of global brands are increasing the demand for post-consumer recycled pellets to be used in sensitive applications such as food or cosmetics packaging, as well as in secondary packaging. These specifications increase the demands on the production capacity and process stability of recycling plants in order to guarantee high output volumes with a consistently high quality. EREMA offers reliable solutions to meet these specifications.
The new Intarema 2021 TVEplus, now without cascade
Large plastics recycling plants need more than simply upscaling the individual components. The larger the of the extruder screw, the greater the technological challenges. The start-up last summer of the largest Intarema system to date, with a throughput of over four tonnes per hour, confirms that EREMA offers reliable solutions for high throughputs. The next smaller 2021 has now been further developed. "We have focused on the system and its individual components to ensure cost effectiveness and process reliability on this scale," explains Markus Huber-Lindinger, Managing Director at EREMA. At the K show, EREMA will launch the Intarema2021 TVEplus with a diameter of 2 metres for the preconditioning unit (PCU) and 212 millimetres for the extruder screw, which for the first time features a single end-to-end extrusion unit. With a throughput of up to 3.5 tonnes per hour and a footprint of just 15.1 x 3 metres, this recycling system is over two metres shorter than the previous cascade design, in which two extruders were connected by a melt pipe. The new design also reduces the melt temperature, lowers energy consumption and minimises maintenance requirements.
Based on TVEplus and EREMA PCU technology, the new 2021 produces even higher quality recycled pellets. Counter Current technology makes a significant contribution to this because it continuously feeds the extruder with preheated material that is 5 to 15 degrees Celsius warmer than with conventional cutter compactor systems. This is a technological advantage, especially for an extruder screw with a large diameter with correspondingly deep screw flights. The melt is processed more gently with less shearing and without additional particle reduction. This makes it easier for impurities to be extracted by the melt filter, which is a key element of the new development. "It is thanks to our latest innovation in filtration that we have been able to implement the system on this scale. We will be demonstrating this innovation live at K 2025," says Markus Huber-Lindinger. The system is also available with DuaFil Compact technology for even more efficient filtration.
