Starlinger Delivers PET Recycling Line to Uzbek Recycler

Vienna-based equipment manufacturer Starlinger has announced it is supplying the recycling company Geleon Link, based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with its recoSTAR PET 125 HC iV+ recycling line (including a viscoSTAR 120 SSP unit) for processing post-consumer washed and dried PET bottle flakes. When fully operational the line will have a total output capacity of around 8,000 metric tons per year.

According to Starlinger, the system is the first complete PET recycling project built in Uzbekistan. The recycled food-grade material processed will be used primarily for the domestic market.

The recoSTAR PET 125 HC iV+ line produces food-grade regranulate that is suitable for various applications, Starlinger says. The recycling/decontamination process fulfills FDA/EFSA and brand owner requirements, the company notes, delivering recycled PET with ultra-low VOC and AA content (less than one part per million). Other stated benefits include constant residence times and first in-first out (FIFO) processing during the pre-heating for ideal preparation for the extrusion process.

The equipment also features a high-vacuum degassing extruder built to reduce viscosity loss during extrusion and to purify the melt from volatile contamination. The company says the special FIFO design of the reactor ensures that each individual pellet undergoes uniform treatment during the chosen residence time to achieve the viscosity and decontamination levels required for food-contact applications.

Starlinger notes that the Geleon Link project supports the localization policy Uzbekistan is currently pursuing. In the case of PET granulate, Uzbekistan is importing around 70,000 tons per year at an average price of $2,000 per ton. To produce part of this quantity within the country may offer a significant cost reduction.

A division of Starlinger & Co. GmbH, Starlinger recycling technology provides machinery solutions for the recycling and refining of a wide range of plastics. Starlinger PET recycling systems produce food-safe recycled PET and are approved for use in food applications by many brand owners as well as various national and international authorities, the company says.