Product Innovations

Rare earth tube circuit enhances metal detection

ProGrade: Eriez makes a variety of magnetic separation equipment that can protect against damage caused to machinery or potential end-product contamination that results from weakly magnetic fine ferrous material entering the plastics recycling stream. The ProGrade product line features standard magnetic plates, grates, traps and tubes.

What’s new? The improved Xtreme RE7 rare earth tube circuit, which is available in Eriez ProGrade tubes, grates and liquid line traps. Benefits: In head-to-head tests, Eriez says the Xtreme RE7 was shown to be 13 percent to 40 percent stronger than other magnets on the market today, providing greater separation efficiency. Additionally, the company says its Xtreme RE7 beats competitors’ models in terms of pull-testing, gauss rating or both and is the strongest technology currently available.

Eriez, Erie, Pennsylvania, 814-835-6000, www.eriez.com

Zerma shredder processes range of pipe sizes

ZRS 2600: Zerma’s latest pipe shredder can process plastic pipe in a range of sizes. The shredder begins working automatically once its horizontal feeding trough is loaded and its heavy-duty hydraulic cover is locked in place. It features a hydraulic pusher that forces the pipes against its two vertically arranged rotors. An intuitive touch screen gives users complete control for monitoring all operations.

What’s new? The ZRS 2600.

Benefits: The ZRS 2600 is capable of processing pipes up to 7 feet in diameter and up to 22 feet in length. Pipes of different diameters and wall thicknesses can be loaded within the shredder in a cascading array or nested inside one another. Worker safety is ensured because power remains off while the hydraulic cover is open for loading and secured by a light grid.

Zerma America LLC, Fort Meyers, Florida, 239-219-1100, www.zerma-america.com

Sabic PCR-based resin helps customers reduce carbon footprint

PCR-based resins: Sabic has developed sustainable polyphenylene ether-based resins with a new formulation that uses at least 25 percent postconsumer recycled (PCR) content. Its PCR-based Noryl resin technology can be incorporated into more than 200 existing Noryl resin grades, including a glass-fiber-reinforced (FR) grade and an unreinforced, non-FR grade.

What’s new? Noryl NH5120RC3 resin, which has up to 30 percent PCR content.

Benefits: The resin features improved circularity. Sabic says, depending on the requirements of a particular application, its new PCR-based technology could replace fossil-based Noryl grades currently in use, giving customers the performance they require while reducing their carbon footprints. For example, compared with a fossil-based resin grade, Noryl NH5120RC3 resin’s PCR content has 10 percent less global warming potential, according to Sabic.

Sabic, Houston, 713-430-2301, www.sabic.com/en

New camera improves optical sorter’s precision

SpydIR-HS optical sorter: The latest optical sorter from National Recovery Technologies (NRT) features an improved near-infrared (NIR) camera and other updated technologies to boost its sorting capabilities.

What’s new? The SpydIR-HS optical sorter. It features a hyper spectral imaging (HSI) camera and software that gives operators greater flexibility to configure targeting profiles to optimize recovery.

Benefits: The HSI camera provides nearly 10 times the detection resolution of its predecessor, while the new system provides double the air ejection precision and includes lifetime calibration. The new sorter also can be integrated with Bulk Handling Systems’ Max-AI visual identification system, allowing it to intelligently target its recovery by ejecting or suppressing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays from a PET material stream, for example, or ejecting natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers from a mixed HDPE stream. The enclosure of the sorter has an internal height of 6 feet, providing easy access and improving ease of maintenance, which protects workers.

National Recovery Technologies, Nashville, Tennessee, 615-734-6400, www.nrtsorters.com

Erema systems recycle highly contaminated packaging

Chemarema: Designed for applications upstream from pyrolysis, this portfolio of custom-built Erema systems combines preconditioning units for cutting, homogenizing, heating, drying, compacting, buffering and dosing and the company’s extrusion technology to prepare plastic scrap not appropriate for mechanical recycling. The Chemarema range includes cascade solutions with single- and twin-screw extruders, shredder-extruder combinations and vacuum-assisted extrusion solutions available for special applications. The systems can be designed to accommodate an array of polymer types, material shapes and varying bulk densities and levels of moisture or contamination.

What’s new? The Chemarema, available since the K 2022 trade show.

Benefits: The ability to recover value from highly contaminated postconsumer input streams, such as packaging films with low bulk densities from about 3 pounds per cubic foot and moisture levels of 4 percent to 12 percent, to prepare them for chemical recycling in just one process step at throughputs of up to about 5.5 tons per hour. According to Erema, the systems perform reliably, continuously and energy-efficiently. Compared with conventional systems, they have a process window three times wider for handling the input variability that typically occurs with material flows for chemical recycling given fluctuations in composition, impurities and moisture.

Erema North America Inc., Ipswich, Massachusetts, 978-356-3771, www.erema.com

Evonik additives aid recycling

Tego Cycle: Evonik’s Tego Cycle family of additives offers products that can be used at every stage of the mechanical recycling process for plastics. For example, in the washing stage, Tego Cycle additives include wetting agents and antifoam products to prevent adhesion of dirt and air, providing excellent plastics separation, as well as additives for deinking and delabeling. The Tego Cycle product line also includes additives that reduce odor and improve the compatibilization of rigid and flexible materials, including additives optimized for resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

What’s new? The Tego Cycle brand, which debuted at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe in May.

Benefits: The additives can improve efficiency of mechanical recycling, decreasing the energy required. Additionally, Evonik’s Tego Cycle additives can help improve processing and enhance polymer properties, leading to more competitive costs and higher-quality pellets.

Evonik Corp., Richmond, Virginia, 804-727-0700, www.evonik.com