Trade organisation Plastics Recyclers Europe is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 PRSE Awards, which includes big names like Philips and Danone. The virtual expo took place last week, with the next edition scheduled for November 2021 in Amsterdam.
Despite 2020 having been a difficult year for the global recycling industry, the winners are a ‘testament’ to the innovation driving the circular and sustainable use of plastics today,’ says event director Matt Barber.
The winners in all seven categories are:
- Recycled Product Technology Innovation: SealPPeel by Verstraete in mould labels, a Multi-Color Company
- Recycling Machinery Innovation: Gel-less film recycling with Mas Technology by Caroda BV and MAS Maschinen-und Anlagenbau Schulz GmbH
- Plastic Packaging Product: evian (re)new in-home water appliance by Danone
- Plastics Recycling Ambassador: Professor Kim Ragaert of Ghent University
- Automotive, Electrical or Electronic Product: SENSEO Eco Coffee Maker by Philips, made with recycled content
- Building & Construction Product: GreenMatter by GreenMatter
- Household & Leisure Product: S’cure ECO Post Consumer Edition by Samsonite Europe NV
You can check all finalists here.
The gel-less film recycling innovation by Caroda and MAS was praised for the special design of its conical co-rotation MAS extruder, which allows the use of a twin-screw extruder for film cost-effective recycling. The main distinctive feature of the MAS twin screw extruder is the conical design, which enables a big feeding opening and a huge intake volume. This way, it is possible to feed film fluff without pre-densification or agglomeration prior to the extrusion process.
Flexible, exchangeable kneading elements ensure the right amount of shearing, which is required to get best possible homogenisation. In comparison to conventional single screw extruders, used in film recycling, a co-rotation twin screw provides significantly better homogenisation. ‘As a result, the solution can set new quality recycling levels and help realise a significantly wider use of the recycled pellets,’ the tech providers argue.
The screws in conical design are segmented and adjusted with exchangeable mixing / kneading elements. The tailored screw geometry, in combination with the suitable screw speed, allows to adjust the shearing rate to the exact required level to prevent gels and cross linking.
Meanwhile, SealPeel offers a sustainable alternative for packaging lidding that avoids contamination in a recycling stream and therefore allows more material to be easily separated, recovered and recycled into new products.
GreenMatter provides a new solution for artificial grass by recycling them into lawn furniture and garden accesories. The initiative originated from a close cooperation between Re-match, Lankhorst Engineered Products and W&H Sports. They carefully separate the artificial turf mats to realise a high-quality PE raw material flow that is 100% free of contamination and backing.
This year’s plastics recycling ambassador Professor Kim Ragaert from Ghent University has dedicated her multidisciplinary research group to the improved mechanical recycling of thermoplastics. The judges recognised Kim as having ‘exceptional drive in advancing the circular economy for plastics’. Ragaert was also involved in the ‘EarBuddy’ project, which produces face make attachments from recycled laboratory plastics.
All winners receive a trophy, with a 3D printed base made from 100% recycled ABS plastic car dashboards and the multi-colour top which is laser cut from compressed HDPE beach clean-up bottle caps.
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Resource: https://recyclinginternational.com/plastics/and-the-winners-of-the-prse-awards-2020-are/32279/
