Recycling: Erema schools recyclers
In-house recycling was the focus of a set of technical seminars conducted last fall by recycling equipment and technology supplier Erema, Ansfelden, Austria, but off-line systems were also presented. More than 130 international industry personnel attended the event, which featured live demonstrations of several types of the company's recycling systems, embodying the concept that the quality of the end products can be kept constant while minimizing production and labor costs. Among the attendees were those from various European companies as well as from Russia, Israel, Thailand and Senegal.
The latest generation of the Intarema overall recycling system is designed to improve efficiency vs. previous lines. The name comes from INverse + TAngential + eREMA and is based on the new, globally patented Counter Current preconditioning technology that reportedly increases output capacity. The technology ensures recycling process stability despite varying characteristics and conditions of the input material. The plastic material is preconditioned for temperature and dryness prior to being compacted and fed to the extruder to ensure the quality of the recyclate.
The Smart Start control system minimizes the personnel required for the recycling process, which is especially important when in-house recycling systems run "on the side" in addition to the film production machinery.
Eco-Save technology reduces energy consumption by 10 percent and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Direct drive of the extruder screw increases extruder efficiency by up to 3 percent, and a practical energy display gives a constant overview of energy consumption.
Off-line applications are enhanced by the new EFS Crocodile system, incorporating a conveyor belt specifically suited to the dosing of endless edge trim. This innovation enables the constant feeding of tangled edge trim without pre-cutting.
In-house recycling solutions for flexible plastic packaging are a specialty at Erema. According to Erema, flexible packaging accounts for a quarter of the world's plastic applications. Special polyethylene film applications such as shrink and stretch films and biaxially oriented polypropylene dominate the field, with annual growth rates of 3 percent to 5 percent in the market. As material costs account for a majority (over three quarters) of the production costs, less production scrap also means lower costs for raw material and disposal.
Merle R. Snyder, senior correspondent