A European trade group has issued limited bottle-to-bottle recycling approval for a nylon material used as a barrier in some plastic containers.
European Plastics Recyclers Aisbl (EuPR), Brussels, has issued limited approval for recyclers to collect and recycle bottles containing Mitsubishi Gas Chemical’s Nylon MXD6 material in multi-layer containers (with no tie layer or adhesive) as long as such bottles do not make up more than 2 percent by weight of the collected bottle stream.
A thin layer of MXD6, manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, is used as the middle layer of a three-layer construction to reduce the gas permeability of PET bottles.
Bottles using this construction have been tested using “the Petcore bottle to bottle protocol,” according to EuPR. In the test, “Clear, three-layer, co-injected bottles were used containing approximately 5 percent of Nylon MXD6.”
After receiving the test results, the PET Working group of EuPR has worked along with Mitsubishi to determine “the threshold for the use of this barrier material in a sustainable recycling environment.”
The PET Working group stipulated that the required conditions for limited use are:
- the pre-form must be injected so that the MXD6 layer is only in the bottle wall at a maximum of 5 percent;
- the container must be 3-layer multi-layer with no tie layers;
- a concentration of a maximum of 2 percent of these bottles should be in the collected stream
- there must be good air elutriation during the recycling process.
The PET Working group “has come to the conclusion (taking into consideration local accumulation effects) that Mitsubishi’s Nylon MXD6 in multi-layer bottles with no adhesive tie layers will have no negative impact on current European PET recycling if its quantity is limited at levels of up to 2 percent of the bottle stream (valid for all kind of bottles in the market including colored bottles).”
The working group also stated in a news release that it “recognizes the need for innovation. It is also recognized, however, that the introduction of barrier systems is cumulative in the recycle stream. In the event that the introduction of a specific new barrier system or too great a concentration of older barrier materials has an adverse affect on the quality of the resulting RPET (e.g. color/haze), the working group reserves the right to re-test and reevaluate its position with regard to technology approval.”