Extrusion International 3-2025

45 Extrusion International 3/2025 the subsequent crushing and washing line. The fourth AUTOSORT™ unit re-sorts the rejected products from the first three units, sending recoverable materials back to the first AUTOSORT™ to improve efficiency and ma - terial recovery. “After pre-sorting, the material is crushed, washed and dried before being sorted by target colors using the INNOSORT™ FLAKE, TOMRA’s highly flexible color and polymer flake sorting machine. Finally, the flakes are sent to the AUTOSORT™ FLAKE unit, a specialist solution for high-end flake sorting applications such as food-grade bottle-to-bottle recycling. At this sorting stage, the targeted high purity is achieved thanks to the reliable separation of color, polymer and metal contam- inants, virtually eliminating all traces of PVC, PC, PS and other unwanted polymers.” Advanced waste analysis Doğa PET is required to prove that less than 5% of the input material for its washing process consists of non-food grade PET to produce food-grade pellets. To meet this requirement and enhance material re- covery across its sorting lines, the company has in- vested in a state-of-the-art waste analyzer powered by PolyPerception, a solution that uses cameras for real-time material analysis and classification at key points in the sorting plant. At Doğa PET’s plant, the analyzer is positioned before the last of four AUTO - SORT™ units. It continuously monitors and analyzes the quantity of non-food grade PET bottles destined for the washing line. By providing data per batch or shift, the analyzer enables Doğa PET to certify the food-grade quality of material from each specific production period, offering crucial reassurance to both its customers and relevant certification bodies. This transparency is particularly vi - tal for end customers purchasing these pellets from a Turkish PET facility. Exporting its high-quality product to Europe, Doğa PET relies on this assurance to meet its customers' stringent compliance requirements. The crucial role of quality in filament-grade textiles While Doğa PET invests in high-quality food-grade rPET granules for bottle-to-bottle recycling, the compa- ny also applies the same approach to supplying rawma- terials for the textile industry. Dr. Gerlikhan comments: "The filament sector in textiles demands very high pu - rity levels and color stability. The durability, aesthet - ics and functionality of the final fiber product depend heavily on the proper management of the PET recycling process when producing high-quality rPET granules. Ac - curate sorting is critical for increasing rPET granule pu- rity. For us, using TOMRA's state-of-the-art sorting sys - tems is crucial as they ensure efficient and fast recycling processes." Serkan Orhan concludes: “We are delighted to have been by Doğa's side from the very beginning on this project, consulting on the feasibility study. Achieving the desired capacity and quality levels in such a short period of time with such vast inputs has been a great achievement which demonstrates how advanced sort- ing technology contributes to achieving virgin-like ma- terial qualities." TOMRA Recycling Sorting www.tomra.com The facility's sorting machines include four AUTOSORT™, two INNOSORT™ FLAKE and two AUTOSORT™ FLAKE units Dr. Gerlikhan: "For us, using TOMRA's state-of-the-art sorting systems is crucial.”