Extrusion International 3-2025

24 Extrusion International 3/2025 INDUSTRY NEWS Recycling Solutions for Plastics At the PRSE trade fair in Amsterdamon April 1 - 2, Zep - pelin Systems presented innovative solutions for plas - tics recycling and also showcased a laboratory system for deodorization, among other things. This enables a smooth transition to the large-scale plant for processing waste plastics. Zeppelin offers a wide range of services for systems in plastic recycling from a single source, from basic en- gineering to automation to final assembly and compre - hensive after-sales service, taking into account custom- ized customer wishes and needs. Deodorizers play an important role in the recycling process. In these, recycled plastics are degassed by a thermal-physical cleaning process and freed of unpleas- ant odors and other organic contaminants. Zeppelin Systems solutions are particularly impressive in this re - gard thanks to their energy-saving solutions that inte- grate energy recuperation of process waste heat. Zeppelin Systems offers the DEO-L mobile labora - tory deodorization system so that users are on the safe side during the deodorization process step. The process steps such as heating, degassing and cooling can be simulated on a laboratory scale. First, the bulk material is heated in the system with a high volume- flow of air (automatically until the target temperature is reached). The deodorization then starts with a re - duced air volume, depending on the preset retention time. A large volume of air is again used for cooling. The temperature of the blown-in air can be adjusted as required up to 120°C using the touch terminal, as can the volumetric flow rate and the retention time. Similar to the production facilities, the laboratory facil - ity also places great emphasis on ease of cleaning; in - ternal containers and outer sheets are therefore made of high-quality stainless steel. The process parameters obtained in the system can be transferred to industrial systems. The degassing results obtained on a labora - tory scale thus provide a reliable basis for predicting the deodorization performance in large-scale plants. Another important task is the reliable separation of lightweight plastic fractions such as films, thin flakes or layers from heavy fractions such as hard plastic or other foreign materials. The GSF counterflow screen is designed in such a way that the good product flow is discharged together with the conveying and visible air via the aspiration nozzle. The screener can be in - tegrated directly into pneumatic conveyor systems. It is suitable for both open and closed-circuit systems. The coarse material is discharged gravimetrically at the bottom product outlet or optionally via a down- stream rotary valve. The GSF enables constant separa - tion efficiency over the entire operating period. Since the screen does not have any moving parts, it is also maintenance-free. The continuously operating GSF counterflow screen allows a throughput of up to 25 m³/h of bulk material. Another important aspect in producing high-quality plastic recyclates is homogenization, that is, the uniform blending of plastic bulk materials. Once again, Zeppe - lin Systems ensures seamless integration into the over - all process here thanks to its customized solutions. As a result, users can rely on production operating under stable conditions. Users also value the gentle static ho - mogenization in Zeppelin Systems plants. In addition, the systems operate quietly and cleanly and require no maintenance or additional energy for blending. According to the EU directive, around 65 percent by weight of all packaging waste in Europe must be re- cycled by the end of 2025. And by 2030 at the latest, this level will go up to at least 70% by weight. This is of - ten particularly challenging for fluffy materials such as films, nonwovens or fibers. Zeppelin Systems has been working on innovative recycling solutions for years and also provides excellent solutions for these seemingly challenging products. After all, while there are already good recycling so- lutions for hard coarse materials made from polyure- thane, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polystyrene, solutions for fluffy materials are still in the early stages. This is where systems are needed that can reliably process large material flows and react flexibly to changes in the input streams. With Fluff-Tec, Zeppelin Systems is delivering on exactly these requirements. Zeppelin Systems GmbH zeppelin.com Degassing plastic recyclates effectively with the intelligent Fresh-TEC® process (© Zeppelin Systems GmbH)