Way2K: Industry interviews in the lead-up to the K 2022 trade fair

“The circular economy needs holistic recycling solutions”
Interview with Alaaddin Aydin, Managing Director of Maag Germany GmbH

Mr. Aydin, how do we get to grips with the problem of plastic waste? That question is not an easy one to answer, and always depends on how plastic is handled. Where there is no infrastructure present, and no coordinated set of rules, the sensible handling of plastic waste is not possible. This is very harmful for us. The plastics industry alone cannot solve this problem. Politics, in cooperation with industry and trade, must set up the infrastructure and framework conditions to ensure controlled and traceable flows of recyclable materials, and prevent the transfer of risks to third countries.

How can the circular economy be pushed forward?
The plastics industry and trade have been working for some time on solutions to keep recyclables in the loop and increase the share of secondary materials in products. Manufacturers of plastic products are increasingly making their products recyclable and are also increasing the recycled content in their production. However, products must also be repairable – there is still a lot to be done on this point. Many products are not repairable and are still simply replaced when they are defective. Repairing must be worthwhile.

Here are two simple examples: Efficiency can be significantly increased with solutions for total predictive maintenance or online quality controls. The discussion must be objectified and solution-oriented. Plastics will then generally be part of the solution and not the problem. In the end, everyone must work towards a common goal – industry, politics, but also society.

We have already made good progress in Germany.
Yes, a lot is being done here, but there is also still a lot to do. There are many good initiatives by all parties involved. Topics such as resource efficiency, a climate-neutral circular economy and the creation of industrial infrastructures for a circular economy are often tackled in solidarity. However, most challenges can only be solved at European level or internationally. In addition to technological innovations, clear rules are needed that are as unbureaucratic as possible, apply to everyone, and ensure a level playing field.

What is the role of industry and, in particular, mechanical engineering?
Mechanical engineering is a solution provider, which is also how we see ourselves at Maag. We can offer solutions that avoid production waste, increase the drive towards the efficient use of energy and raw materials, and ensure recyclability at the end of a product’s life cycle. For example, plastics manufacturers are working hard on solutions to avoid composites and offer the same functions by mono-materials, making plastic products easier to recycle. There are advances in traceable recyclable material streams and identifiability of plastics for single-species recycling, both chemically and mechanically. One thing is certain: the circular economy needs holistic recycling solutions.

What role does digitalisation play in this?
It plays a decisive role. The more efficient production is, and the more secondary materials are used, the less the impact is on the environment. The topic of the circular economy is omnipresent in the news and the trade press, and companies are facing up to this challenge and the resulting tasks.

And what contribution do consumers need to make?
A shift needs to happen in the way of thinking within our society. As a consumer, it is not enough to complain about plastic waste streams in the oceans and the imminent climate change. We also have to change our own behaviour and treat raw materials and products with respect. This means, for example, that you don’t just replace a product because there is a newer model, but that you use it until the end of its physical or technological life. It also means that you don’t order three items of clothing and then return two. In the case of clothing, the trend towards fast fashion means that a significant proportion ends up in the bin without being worn. In the end, consumers also influence industry and trade through their purchasing behaviour.

What technological contributions is Maag offering to solve the problems?
We offer solutions for mechanical recycling among other things. At the heart of this is our high-performance Ettlinger melt filter, which can extract up to 16 percent weight volume from the plastic, depending on the application – with minimal material loss. Our sixth generation pumps, which are now also available specifically for recycling applications, can tolerate particle sizes of up to 4 millimetres, so that even in post-consumer recycling applications, service lives have been doubled. We also offer complete downstream solutions, including granulation. We have completely redesigned the granulators, so that the same size machines now have 40 percent more output. Availability of the systems has also been increased, and the service life of wearing components has been considerably extended, so that unplanned downtimes have been minimised. This in turn leads to considerably reduced production waste during the start-up and shutdown of the lines. Conversely, this means that we can offer smaller plants with improved performance and reliability, which entails less installation space, less energy input, less production waste and improved product quality.

Heerenveen (Netherlands), March 2022. Europe’s first independent testing and research centre with facilities on industrial scale, the NTCP (National Test centre Circular Plastics), in the Netherlands, founded in 2018, has set out to examine the behaviour of different plastics during sorting and washing. The goal is to optimise processes quantitatively, qualitatively and with more efficient energy use, in order to promote plastics recycling in line with the circular economy model. Dutch and foreign clients are already showing great interest in the testing options. “With its modular design, Lindner Washtech’s plastic washing system, to be installed in mid-2022, will make a significant contribution to our research and the optimisation of various plastic streams,” says Martine Brandsma, director of the NTCP.

Tucked away in Friesland, a northern Dutch province, lies the 50.000-strong community of Heerenveen. Since 2018, it has also been home to the National Test centre Circular Plastics (NTCP). It is Europe’s first independent testing and research centre which can analyse heterogeneous plastic waste streams down to the smallest part. Rather than relying on usual test set-ups which are commonly used in research institutions, it is instead equipped with state-of-the-art facilities: raw, industrial, noisy and… using real waste.

Playing with the Settings
NTCP’s concept is actually quite simple: the more plastic that enters the correct sorting stream and then takes the correct route to the relevant mechanical and chemical recyclers, the higher the percentage of plastics that remain in the loop. Though this may sound simple in theory, the reality is more complex. According to Brandsma, “It’s like a chess game, played on seven boards all at once – and chess moves are being made on each one.” When one applies this to recycling, this means that everyone who takes part in the process – be it the collectors, sorters or recyclers – is in a constant state of development. This means that the system too is constantly changing. In order to examine individual or larger steps in the process, the NTCP has a 25 by 20 metre long, and 9 metre high, industrial sorting system. This simulates the entire sorting process (up to 2 t/h). The modular design allows for settings to be adapted to different testing requirements, which can then be analysed in detail. In this way, one can also test how different sorting techniques interact.

A New Washing System
NTCP’s current sorting system takes up half of the thousand square metres of available production space. The other half is reserved for a new washing system, which will be commissioned from and installed by the plastic recycling specialist Lindner Washtech in August 2022. Lindner Washtech’s modular system allows for each individual step of the washing process to be examined and quantified in detail. Freek Van Rhijn, technical director of the NTCP says, “Soon we will be able to simulate and optimise the entire washing process for all materials. From shredding, dry washing, cold and hot washing, density separation, mechanical and thermal drying, all the way to separating with a flake sorter. We can also focus on the detergents required and the environmental impact of using more or less water. How does washing by five or ten degrees less affect energy consumption? What ends up in the waste water and how much does it cost to dispose of? With the new washing system, we can examine every single step, from sorting all the way to the final clean plastic flake.”

For several months, Van Rhijn has worked closely with Lindner Washtech’s engineers to develop the new plastic washing system. Harald Hoffmann, the firm’s Managing Director from Großbottwar (Germany), is happy to actively help shape this flagship project. He is convinced that the testing system as a whole will have a huge impact on the recycling industry and is a major leap forward. “The modular system will soon make it possible for different types of plastic to undergo different washing tests. This is made more feasible as the modules can be independently integrated into the process. In addition, the washing modules can be separately adapted to the requirements of each kind of plastic and its degree of contamination. This flexibility creates multiple opportunities for process optimisation at every step of the way, while ensuring high-quality recycled material. This kind of research and testing not only actively contributes to recycling profitability, it also increases the rate of recycling and environmental protection,” says Hoffmann.

In addition to supplying the complex washing system, made up of flexible and highly specialised components, Lindner Washtech is also including a universal plastic shredder from its Antares series, as well as a wet granulator. The washing process can be minutely adapted through its different components to suit any kind of input material and its varying degrees of contamination. To this end, a dry cleaner, pre-washer, friction washer or various hot-wash components are also available. The client can choose from various options when it comes to material separation and drying – which can be chosen to develop and design the optimal process for the material at hand. The NTCP system will be equipped with a mechanical dryer, a step dryer, as well as thermal drying specifically for plastic film.

Independent Advice
Since the NTCP is an independent, not-for-profit organisation, it reinvests all its profits, and equally addresses different organisations and stakeholders within the circular plastic recycling chain. Many national and international companies have already expressed an interest in collaborations and partnerships. Freek van Rhijn, who came on board as technical director in October 2019, is not surprised that NTCP has logged so many orders since its inception: “When people come here, they can’t believe their eyes. They may have imagined a lab with a few small machines, but this is a real industrial plant. Everyone we speak to sees the benefits of operating at this scale.” Orders have come in from a variety of large and small firms, including sorters, recyclers, brand owners, retailers, packers and other stakeholders in the plastic recycling industry. These, alongside international brands, have all approached the NTCP with research and testing requests. Lindner Washtech also intends to use this facility to further develop its washing components and to test prototypes. “In future, we want to make the most of the NTCP’s testing possibilities for our own research and development. We will also ensure that our latest innovations are made available to the NTCP for test runs. Ultimately, the entire plastics industry benefits from testing facilities of this magnitude,” says Georg Krenn,
Technical Director at Lindner Washtech.

Preferred Testing and Research Partner
The NTCP will continue on its path to achieve the firm goal of increasing the amount of recycled material and accelerating innovation across recycling chains. Director Martine Brandsma even foresees sustainable plastic playing a prominent role across Europe. “We have the ambition to be the preferred partner for testing and research in the field of household waste streams. We are already eighty percent on track to reach our target for 2022. In just a short time, we’ve already been recognised as an independent partner, with our results being confirmed and accepted on a national and international level. On the one hand, this shows that there is an enormous need for our services. On the other hand, it is a confirmation that we have set up our business model successfully and our projects are achieving great results. We’re just a small team here at NTCP, so that’s something we are very proud of.”

BOREALIS AND GRABHER PARTNERSHIP GIVES USED FFP2 FACE MASKS ANOTHER LIFE

• High-quality face masks made in Austria by Grabher contain fully recyclable meltblown polypropylene supplied by Borealis
• New collect-and-recycle scheme established by Grabher turns used face masks into value-added products
• Partnership is embodiment of the Borealis EverMinds™ spirit of taking action to accelerate the move towards plastics circularity

Borealis, one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals and fertilizers; and the Grabher Group, a leading manufacturer of high-tech textiles, are accelerating plastics circularity in a partnership that safeguards human health while helping minimise waste. The key component of the high-quality, filtrating face masks produced by Grabher in Austria is made of fully recyclable meltblown polypropylene (PP) supplied by Borealis. To further drive circularity, Grabher has initiated a novel collect-and-recycle scheme for used face masks which turns them into new value-added products such as oil absorption fabrics.

Plastics circularity “made in Austria” through collaboration and innovation
The Vorarlberg, Austria-based Grabher Group is a leading expert in nano-air and micro-liquid filtration and designs smart-textile systems for the manufacture of medical and healthcare products, among others. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Austria were imminent. Grabher acted by becoming the first Austrian company to establish a dedicated face mask assembly facility which included a state-of-the-art meltblown production system for the manufacture of high-quality face masks. These certified masks, including FFP2 filtration respirators, medical masks, and washable community masks, are marketed by Vprotect, a 100%-owned member of the Grabher Group. One essential component of the Vprotect masks – the filter made of densely spaced micron-sized fibres – is made of meltblown PP supplied by Borealis, a material which itself is fully recyclable.

Yet for obvious health reasons, even high-quality and more sustainable face masks are quickly disposed of. Far too many find their way into landfills or even natural environments. To combat the problem of growing volumes of mask waste, Grabher again took action by creating a new return and collection system for used masks in order to recycle them into new, value-added products. The scheme, which is to be rolled out across Austria in the near future, features clearly marked collection boxes into which all types of face masks may be deposited. After sorting, washing, sterilising and drying, the material is used as filler material for cushion and oil absorption applications. Development is currently ongoing to process the masks into granulate which may be turned into absorption fabrics using the meltblown process. These recycled fabrics may be used to absorb oil – for example due to a spill – or other liquids.

“Our partnership with Grabher is the embodiment of EverMinds circular thinking,” claims Vedran Kujundzic, Borealis Vice President Commercial Performance Materials. “Using our fully recyclable meltblown PP to manufacture high-quality masks helps protect human health, and finding a way to use them again protects our planet. Together, Borealis and Grabher have taken yet another step to closing the loop on plastics circularity by maintaining our focus on sustainable solutions which benefit society.”
“We are proud to have responded so quickly to the urgent need for PPE and FFP2 masks, in particular, at the start of the pandemic in Austria,” says Günter Grabher, Managing Director of the Grabher Group. “In the meantime, we are gratified that our collect-and-recycle initiative continues to attract numerous other participants, including OMV, a major food retail group, and several large hospitals. In Borealis, we have found a reliable partner who shares our commitment to both innovation and sustainability, and we look forward to continued collaboration.”