Starlinger - Press Monitor 2024

en.kunststoffe.de /a/article-5652417 New Solutions for Food-Grade Recyclates

Starlinger at NPE 2024 Super-cleaning and odor reduction solutions for consumer packaging materials: The two Starlinger business units viscotec and recycling technology have joined forces to offer high-end solutions for producing food-grade recycled PP, PE, PS and PET. At NPE 2024, the company will share first impressions. 3rd Apr 2024

viscoZERO is available as a turnkey solution or as upgrade for existing recycling extruders.© Starlinger

Based on Starlinger’s vision “food-grade without compromise”, the combination of the proven post consumer pelletizing line recoSTAR dynamic with the new viscoZERO melt phase decontamination technology and the downstream pellet flushing unit PCUplus provides super-cleaning and odor reduction not only for PET but also for PP, HDPE and PS. “With this new machine setup we present a super-cleaning solution for post-consumer packaging made of polyolefins such as PP and PE or polystyrene at this year’s NPE”, said Paul Niedl, Commercial Head of Starlinger recycling technology. “Especially PP, PS and HDPE post-consumer packaging waste degrades during recycling; thus, the produced material can only be used in lower-grade applications. With the new technology, the material is upgraded in the process and thus suitable for use in high-grade applications including direct food contact packaging.” Re-Cycling instead of Down-Cycling The newly conceived recycling process ensures the thorough decontamination of post-consumer PP, PE or PS food packaging, producing food-safe, odor-reduced regranulate that can be reused in the production of food-contact packaging instead of other, lower-grade types of packaging. The recycling system consists of a recoSTAR dynamic recycling extruder with/without degassing, a continuous melt filter or power-backflush filter, the viscoZERO melt phase decontamination reactor, a subsequent belt melt filter or power backflush filter before the underwater or waterring pelletizer, and the optional PCUplus pellet flusher at the end of the process. Depending on the components in the line setup, the system produces recycled resin in various grades, ranging from food-safe to highly decontaminated and odor-treated. The viscoZERO reactor in combination with the PCUplus pellet flusher produces recycled PE, PP and PS that meets the highest standards for packaging with direct food contact .