Techmer PM develops recycled PET solution

Compounder and materials design company Techmer PM, based in Clinton, Tennessee, has developed a solution to what it claims is a short supply of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). The product, called HiTerra rPET Revive, is a concentrate the company says rebuilds the resin’s polymer chains, thereby increasing its viscosity and reducing rPET’s resulting yellowness.

The company adds that while brand owners are committed to increasing their use of recycled plastics to help meet environmental goals, challenges include a short supply and the additional cost of high-quality rPET. In addition, Techmer PM says PET thermally degrades when it is repeatedly processed, as multiple heat histories lead to yellowing and viscosity breakdown and limit the use of such materials.

“HiTerra rPET Revive can allow for a higher regrind/recycle rate and improve productivity,” says Steve Smith, Techmer PM’s market manager for rigid packaging. “We selected the active ingredient to be compatible with PET resins used in fiber molding applications. Converters can use it in the production of thermoformed sheets, and the product is showing good potential for use in bottles, as well.”

Smith describes it as a new technology that contains no pigments or dyes and is suitable for food-contact applications, saying that “HiTerra rPET Revive can reduce the yellowness of the rPET to virgin-level or, in some cases, even less yellow than virgin PET.”

While Smith acknowledges that the processing of resin with chain-extending additives can require care, he says, “We see good results at both lab scale and at commercial scale, and market interest is extremely high.”