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ISSUE 02/2000 |
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| Materials / Recycling |
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Recycling of PET bottles
Where a new application is expected to grow into a major
market manufacturers will develop suitable raw materials. If the application grows as
expected, then the problem of recycling will start to arise. Uses now have to be found
for the recycled material. And this is exactly where Petcore comes in. This organisation
has set itself the task of finding these applications for recycled material,
collaborating in the development of new processes and above all to clear the way for
PET bottle recycling. We spoke with Henk Hansler, Director General of Petcore, and
Bram Opschoor, Technical Director.
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? Recycling? Isn't that something usually done by scruffy,
backyard companies?
Hansler: That may be true in some sectors of industry, but in the filed of PET it's
become a major business, using high tech methods to produce high value material form
empty bottles.
? Isn't "high tech" a rather grand term for this business?
Opschoor: Certainly not. It's not just a matter of shredding bottles;
It's a complete sequential process, beginning with the different collection
and sorting systems, followed by cleaning and , of course, shredding, and
finishing with the production of material suitable for use in new products.
? New products such as textile fibres?
Hansler: Of course, you'll be familiar with the fact that PET bottles have a new life
as fibres, but there are other applications currently in operation. PET components,
for instance, are used in the automobile industry for sun-roofs, radiator grills and
profile mouldings. Other products under development include sheeting, strapping and
office furniture such as chairs.
? You talk about high-value material. What makes recycling so expensive?
Opschoor: Well, collecting and sorting of course. Today in Germany at DM 2.70/kg we
at the absolute maximum, but in some European countries the figure is around DM 1.30/kg.
With suitable quantities of PET available we will achieve a cost of about DM 1.00/kg.
The mechanical processing adds another DM 0.40 to the cost. With long term price stability
at DM 1.50 for comparable new material for fibres the saving of DM 0.10/kg should be
attractive to the industry.
? You keep talking about fibres. What about bottle to bottle recycling?
Opschoor: To turn bottles into suitable material for new bottle production the
molecular weight of the shredded recyclate has to be increased by solid stating,
or the shredded material has to be broken down chemically to its basic building
blocks. This, of course, is more expensive than simple mechanical processing. But
in spite of the higher cost, for example with coloured bottles or bottles with a
barrier coating, it can still be worthwhile.
? Could the markets you’ve mentioned - such as fibres, for example - absorb all
of the recycled PET bottles long term?
Hansler: Certainly! As a rule of thumb we can say that about twice the amount of
material is used for fibres as is used for bottles. And it will be some time yet
before every PET bottle is recycled.
? How high is the recycling rate, then?
Hansler: As Petcore we can, of course, only speak for Europe, but here the figure
varies from zero to 80 % depending on the country. On average, in 1999, every fifth
bottle was returned for recycling. This year it will be every fourth bottle, and in
2001 we should reach one in three.
? Why do you expect the rate to increase so quickly? Have the politicians laid
down the quotas?
Hansler: No. No! The politicians are not implicated this time! We’ve seen that
whatever collection and return system is used it takes about five to seven years
for any country to reach high levels of recycling. Many countries, which are big
users of PET such as France or Belgium, only introduced a “Green Point” type of
returns system two or three years ago. This means that they should be running at
full speed in about two years, and give us high recycling rates across Europe.
? And what exactly is your role amongst all these bottles and fibres?
Hansler: It is important for us to monitor PET recycling activities all over Europe and
follow them closely. This allows us to check the practicality and economics of
different recycling systems, and to make our findings generally available. In
this way we can avoid duplicating development work and identify any blind alleys
at an early stage.
Opschoor: It’s equally important for us to research the processing required by new
types of bottle and to find end uses for the reclaimed material
Fig.3:
Procesed PET material
in mio. tons, container
and textile industry
demand worldwide and
in Europe form 1995-2003
Fig.4:
Recycling
PET bottles,
figures
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