The plastics recycling company Cedar Poly LLC, Tipton, Iowa, has recently commissioned a plastics washing system from Lindner washTech, based in Spittal, Austria, which is designed to significantly increase the company's recycling capacity and material quality.
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| Cedar Poly managing directors Scott (left) and Jeremy Rogers (right) have selected Lindner washTech’s modular washing system for their plastic recycling plant in Tipton, Iowa. |
According to Lindner, Cedar Poly is using the new system as part of its recycling line for postconsumer HDPE (high-density polyethylene), which consists primarily of containers and bottles. Jeremy Rogers and Scott Rogers, managing directors of Cedar Poly, say the system has helped to keep material clean.
The two directors concur that the company’s previous system had a maximum throughput limit of 660 pounds (300 kilograms) per hour and its cleaning performance was not sufficient to produce a recyclate suitable for direct further processing.
However, after thorough investigation, Cedar Poly opted to purchase a Lindner WashTech system. “In Lindner WashTech, we found a partner who possesses an extensive know-how in plastic recycling, prepared to design, build and install a system tailored to our needs,” the Rogers say in a joint statement.
The custom-designed washing system comprises multiple stages:
- In a first step, the shredded HDPE flakes pass a prewashing cycle where the material is soaked and contamination such as stones, metals and glass are removed.
- In the next stage, paper label residue and other contaminants are separated by two washTech LF 600 friction washers. These washing units feature replaceable paddles and screens designed to help reduce the overall operating cost, Lindner says. The rotor provides effective cleaning thanks to the optimized dwell time of the material, the company adds.
- Heavier plastic fractions, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), are removed in a further separation stage.
- The material is then sent through a washTech LMD 2000/1200 mechanical dryer, which features a "gentle" drying action, according to Lindner.
- The final stage is an air wash system, where remaining fines and film particles are separated.
The cleaned and dried HDPE flakes have a residual moisture of less than 1 percent, Lindner says. Despite the low moisture level and the high supported throughput rates, the company says the operating costs of the advanced washing system are fairly low because no thermal drying is needed and the water consumption amounts to only around 177 cubic feet (5 cubic meters) per hour.
Cedar Poly notes that with the new system it is able to achieve throughput rates of up to 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) per hour. And, because of the superior cleaning performance, the recycling company says it can produce high-grade recyclates in-house.
Lindner is headquartered in Austria and operates U.S. subsidiaries in Raleigh, North Carolina, and in Atlanta.