In August 2023, the two Austrian family-run companies, Lindner Holding and the EREMA Group, founded the joint venture Blueone Solutions. Their objective is to bring the entire technological recycling process closer together - from shredding, sorting, washing and drying to extrusion - and to optimise this process along the value chain. By combining their expertise, the partners have created the basis for a new way of thoroughly optimising the processes, with the aim of setting new standards in plastics recycling. After their first successful quick wins, which were presented at the IFAT and PRS Europe last year, the cooperation partners will present their new developments at K 2025. These redefine the process engineering behind plastics recycling, especially in terms of energy efficiency, throughput, plant design and recycling quality - according to the motto: Innovating the standards in plastics recycling.
Integrated plant design for defined throughput
The capacity of individual components plays a minor role when designing recycling plants. The focus is on the precise interplay of the entire process chain - from shredding and sorting to washing and drying to extrusion and post-processing. To reliably produce the desired quantity of recyclate at the required quality, it’s important to consider the entire process chain. In particular, how material losses and rejection quantities during the recycling process impact the final output. A jointly developed model by Lindner Washtech and EREMA makes it possible to precisely design a plant according to the required total throughput, taking into account the specific output and materials from the raw material to the final recyclate.
Intelligent energy efficiency
The efficient use of spent energy is one of many challenges in the recycling process - and it particularly affects the transition from drying to extrusion. This is precisely where a common control concept between the bunker silo and extruder comes into play. Dynamic system synchronisation allows operators to specifically control the dwell time of the dried material as well as the extruder loading. For example, the automatic signal exchange ensures that the pre-conditioning unit (PCU) receives an optimum quantity of flakes at the ideal temperature, which significantly reduces the energy required for heating, for example.
Smooth and automated material flow regulation
Low downtimes are vital in matters of productivity and energy use to conserve resources. It is all the more important for all interruptions to the material flow to be identified as early as possible. The solution: a combined control concept. If the recycling process is interrupted by scheduled maintenance work, filter changes or the need to remove contaminants from the shredder, the system will automatically detect this. Intelligent control parameters will keep the recycling process stable until maintenance is complete or the fault has been solved. This effectively prevents energy losses, unnecessary material waste and unplanned downtime. Once the material flow has been fully restored, the line automatically and seamlessly ramps up - ensuring a consistent and high-quality granulate production at all times.
Smart performance monitoring
Lindner Washtech and EREMA have added another jointly developed feature to analyse and monitor overall performance: a process-oriented HMI dashboard that displays all the critical plant parameters in real time. This adaptive interface supplies operating personnel with information about the current utilisation, likely bottlenecks and the potential for optimisation. Operators can then use this information to respond to the specific issue - and monitor the automatic intervention. The integrated transparency supports a stable, data-driven plant operation, forming the basis for future automated interventions and condition-based maintenance (CBM).
The development of integrated, data-driven and holistic process solutions are key milestones in the strategic collaboration of Lindner Washtech and EREMA. A strong shared foundation has been created with the foundation of this joint venture. At K 2025 in Düsseldorf, the partners will focus on key themes such as integrated plant concepts, smooth material flow regulation, smart monitoring and data-driven, intelligent control systems - for maximum process control and optimisation along the entire value-added chain and for new process and quality standards in plastics recycling: Innovating the standards in plastics recycling.
