Steer World offers PEX plastic recycling machine

India-based Steer World is offering what it calls a first-of-its-kind method to recycle crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) plastic using its custom Omega Twin-Screw Extrusion Technology.

PEX is used in corrosion-resistant piping applications and as wire and cable coating and insulation. Steer World says the material’s “exceptional durability” also makes it extremely difficult to recycle using conventional methods. Thus, most discarded PEX ends up in landfills.

The Omega Twin-Screw Extruder uses Steer World's patented fractional geometry technology (FGT). That process uses a combination of mechanical shearing and controlled heat to break PEX crosslinks while preserving its base structure, turning it into a marketable material called de-PEX (decrosslinked PEX).

“This is not just an innovation in recycling, it’s a shift in how we look at thermoset waste,” Prakash Hadimani of Steer World says. “With the Omega series of machines, we’ve made it possible to recover and reuse a material that was once considered unrecoverable. That’s a win for the industry and a big step forward for sustainability.”

Steer World says the modular design of its Omega machine allows precise control of temperature zones, screw speed and configuration—"factors essential to ensuring consistent and scalable decrosslinking.”

According to the firm, the resulting product can be further processed into new products or blended with virgin polymers for a range of industrial applications.

The new extruder opens new doors for manufacturers seeking sustainable alternatives for discarded materials, Steer World says, and can help reduce reliance on virgin plastic, enabling circularity in the PEX sector.

“With this process, we’re not just recycling—we’re redefining what’s recyclable,” Hadimani says. “The ability to reclaim and reintegrate thermoset materials like [PEX] is a breakthrough the industry has been waiting for.”