News items November 2021

Innovations for the circular economy: sustainable, environmentally friendly, and profitable Schönberg, November 2021 From October 12 to 16, 2021, the 27th Fakuma International Trade Fair for Plastics Processing took place in Friedrichshafen, Germany. In terms of content, this year’s Fakuma was centered on the topics of the circular economy, sustainability, and digitalization. Under the motto “Material purity in all process steps of the circular economy,” Sesotec presented technologies and services that help plastics manufacturers, processors, and recyclers achieve circularity and efficiency in their production. Trade show highlights included the FLAKE SCAN material analysis system and the debut appearance of the mobile RE-SORT metal separation unit. Being the first major plastics industry convention since the beginning of the pandemic, this year’s Fakuma attracted fewer visitors than in previous years. However, the Sesotec booth saw more than 300 visitors – many more than expected. “We are back, and stronger than ever.” said Dietmar

EU funded project CIRCULAR FoodPack to develop a system for circularity of packaging for direct food contact applications. CIRCULAR FoodPack aims to facilitate the circular use of plastic packaging addressing the most sensitive product category: Food. The food packaging sector constitutes of 87% of all European flexible plastic multilayer-composites. Such composites are used to fulfil the high requirements for food preservation and safety. Since such material combinations are inseparable, the multi-layer composites cannot be recycled into high-quality materials by state of the art recycling technologies, which counteracts the intentions of a circular use. Instead, most multi-material composites go to landfill or energy recovery. Furthermore, the reuse of recyclates in food packaging applications is clearly restricted by EU legislation . The potential presence of undesired substances in the recyclates hence requires appropriate methods of decontaminations. Therefore, CIRCULAR FoodPack will further develop the Tracer-Based-Sorting systems to separate food from non-food packaging, enhance

PLA continues to enjoy increasing popularity. A particular challenge in processing is crystallization and drying. With its infrared rotary drum (IRD), KREYENBORG offers a fast, energy-saving and product-friendly solution. Polylactide (PLA) continues to enjoy increasing popularity. A particular challenge in processing is crystallization and drying. Because PLA is a hygroscopic thermoplastic, it readily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. The presence of even small amounts of moisture hydrolyzes the biopolymer in the melt phase and reduces the molecular weight. As a result, the mechanical properties of PLA decrease and the quality of the final product is compromised. Therefore, PLA must be thoroughly dried directly before melt-processing. In many cases, recycled polymer must also be crystallized before drying. With its infrared rotary drum (IRD), KREYENBORG offers a fast, energy-saving and product-friendly solution. Feed material is first introduced into the rotary drum by a volumetric dosing system. High-level heat is then quickly and directly introduced into the core of the material by means of infrared light. This energy thus heats the material from the inside and drives the moisture

A win-win situation: Sesotec FLAKE SCAN material analysis system at the Polymers Center of Excellence Schönberg, November 2021 The Polymers Center of Excellence is a not-for-profit organization established by the State of North Carolina to increase knowledge, provide technical support, and assist companies in the plastics industry. The center is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and offers opportunities to collaborate with experts of the plastics industry. The goal of the center is to help optimize products and processes. Sesotec GmbH, a leading global provider of technologies and services for foreign object detection, material sorting and analysis, has provided the Polymers Center of Excellence with a FLAKE SCAN material analyzer. This system is capable of efficiently and accurately analyzing plastic flakes and regrind to determine their material composition and quality. Within minutes, FLAKE SCAN evaluates the types of plastics present (e.g. PET, PP, HDPE, or mixed plastic flakes), their colors, and whether they are contaminated with metals. The FLAKE

Guided wave radar in narrow storage silo for overfill protection and empty indication. Robust and reliable for a continuous, stress-free production process. Robust and totally reliable In aggregate, quarry and mining applications level measurement devices need to be robust with total reliability as standard to ensure a continuous stress-free production process. Modern level measurement For a concrete and cement manufacturer in Germany who has implemented guided wave radar sensors this level measurement technology offered multiple support for his storage process optimization. The TDRs with their high compatibility are used for consistently accurate continuous level detection under difficult varying process conditions, such as high pull-off forces, caking or condensate formation. Unaffected by dust and build-up The stored raw products and additives undergo different processing stages on the way to the final mortar and different kinds of concrete, ready-mixed concrete and special concretes. The solids in particular have different densities, particle sizes with different dust development and a differing moisture content.