Phoenix Technologies Offering Scaled-Down Version of its PET Plastic Recycling Equipment

Phoenix Technologies, a recycler of polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) plastic based in Bowling Green, Ohio, has begun marketing a small-capacity version of its compact, modular equipment. The equipment is available for companies interested in self-manufacturing the plastic.

According to a Phoenix release, the cost of entry for the system, which can handle around 4 million pounds of PET per year, can be as low as $1 million. With a footprint of 1,000 square feet, the company claims that the unit is significantly smaller than any other commercially available recycled PET production equipment and can be built in 160 days.

The system is based on Phoenix Technologies' patented technology, which has been in use since 2000 for the commercial production of food grade recycled PET (rPET). The resin has received letters of no objection at up to 100 percent use from both the Food & Drug Administration and Canada Health.

"For years, Phoenix Technologies has sold this proven rPET resin to brand owners. What we've done now is taken that large scale production unit and significantly reduced its physical footprint, capacity and price to enable self-manufacture. No other company is offering a unit with entry-level production capability. We believe this provides an affordable option for those that have found self-manufacture to be cost-prohibitive up until now," says Robert Deardurff, president, Phoenix Technologies.

Phoenix notes that the unit uses virtually no water and only 2.3 million kilowatts (kwh) hours of electricity per year, versus the 5 million kwh needed to run larger-capacity equipment. The modular design also can easily address growing capacity requirements by adding 4 million pound units to the base equipment.

"We think the reengineered system will be particularly attractive to brand owners who self-manufacture PET containers and who want to support a positive environmental profile. Self manufacture of rPET contributes positively to the carbon footprint and helps minimize time and labor costs," Deardurff says. "We also see it as ideal for recycling plants, retailers, municipalities, etc., which were previously blocked by capital investment, space and labor constraints.”

"Color, yield and taste attributes have traditionally been stumbling blocks in producing viable rPET for incorporation at high percentages-particularly with very sensitive liquids, such as water. Our LNO process overcomes those obstacles," Deardurff notes.

The resin is ideal for a variety of food and beverage applications including water, carbonated soft drinks, juices, fruit, baked goods, meats and cheeses. Package types include blow molded, thermoformed and injection molded applications such as bottles, drinking cups, deli containers, etc.

"Our philosophy is that rPET supply is better suited to multiple, smaller, processing operations vs. one or two large capacity plants. We believe in a local 'consume, collect, convert' approach. By locating rPET production in closer proximity to resin users, you improve supply times and reduce the carbon footprint," Deardurff says.

More information on the system may be obtained by visiting Phoenix Technologies at http://www.phoenixtechnologies.net/index.shtml.