Amut S.p.A. of Italy says it has launched a patented friction washer designed to eliminate impurities from recycled PET (rPET) with a continuous and carefully controlled process that also consumes less water than other cleaning systems.
Amut says its plant reduces water consumption by two-thirds compared to other cleaning systems; the system uses 1 liter of water per kilogram (2.1 pints per 2.2 pounds) of rPET. The final product has high purity levels, Amut says, with levels of organic residues around 20 parts per million.
The friction washer is designed to eliminate contaminants such as labels, glue, residues of organic substances and surface dirt from rPET flakes or bottles.
The machine features automatic and continuous operation, in which the same quantity of material enters and exits after being treated for a certain time, which can be set and changed by the operator, the company says.
The water coming out of the friction washer, together with the impurities, is treated with a special vacuum filter and recirculated through a heat exchanger.
System features include:
- Residence time control (determined by the ratio volume / flow rate);
- Friction coefficient control;
- Automatic temperature control;
- Chemical concentration;
- Flow water recirculation and filtering system;
- Heat exchanger system controls water temperature automatically and recovers residual heat through high efficiency; and
- Customizable plant sizes.
Get curated news on YOUR industry.
Enter your email to receive our newsletters.
Latest from Recycling Today
- Buy Scrap Software to showcase its software at Scrap Expo in September
- LG details recycling activities
- Algoma EAF is up and running
- Toyota-Tsusho completes acquisition of Radius Recycling
- CATL, Ellen MacArthur Foundation aim to accelerate circular battery economy
- Commentary: Expanded polystyrene is 98 percent air, 2 percent plastic and 100 percent misunderstood
- AMCS appoints general manager for North America
- How tariffs, regulations affect LIBs recycling in US, EU