Page 59 - Plastics News December2018

PRODUCT NEWS

Coperion designs the STS Unilever plans to develop plastic
Mc11 extruder for economical free laundry Tablet

masterbatch production
nilever has plans to develop and pilot a plastic-
Ufree laundry tablet to challenge the widely used
operion has designed the STS Mc11 extruder with single-use sachets, which hold laundry powder in
Ca variety ofsolutions intended specifically for the non -biodegradable plastic packaging. The solution
economical production of masterbatch in small to was developed during Unilever’s ‘Rethink Plastic’
medium batch sizes. This extruder is ideally suited to the Hackathon, hosted in partnership with One Young World,
requirements for companies that are into development a UK-based global forum connecting young leaders
and thinkers, and A Plastic Planet, an international
campaign with a single goal: to get the world to turn
off the plastic tap.

The chosen concept was one of 10 new solutions that
emerged from the Hackathon, and aims to replace the
billions of single-use laundry sachets sold every year,
whilst remaining an affordable solution for low-income
consumers. The idea involves a plant-derived coating
that protects each tablet against humidity – a quality
that is also the primary benefit of plastic packaging.
The tablet will be developed before being trialed in
and production of high-quality color and additive
masterbatches and compounds. The system’s features a suitable market. Aside from the plastic-free laundry
ensure very simple handling and ease of cleaning. tablet, Unilever will also be looking into developing
Both the water manifold and all wired connections are the other nine solutions put forward. For instance,
incorporated into the base frame. This setup ensures a detergent subscription model was suggested, using
smooth surfaces and makes it easier to clean without attractive ceramic or glass bottles, as were dissolvable
hindering accessibility. sheets of fabric detergent, coined ‘Laundry on a roll’,
a concept which is both convenient and sustainable. All
The protective cover of the STS Mc11 can also be easily the innovations from the event were open-source, so
cleaned thanks to its special, gapless design and smooth that potential market opportunities could be maximised,
surfaces. It ends directly at the extruder’s base frame which would
and gives operating personnel easy access to the process h e lp sca le
section when needed. Coperion has equipped the feed up impact.
barrel of the STS 35 Mc11 with an exchangeable sleeve A l o ng s ide
insert that facilitates cleaning and faster product changes. developing new
All in all, these features ensure the economical production plastic-free
of high-quality masterbatches with a throughput rate of alternatives
up to 300 kg/h. Coperion has equipped the system with a t o sa ch e t s,
die head that was particularlydeveloped for masterbatch Unilever has
processing. The die head can quickly be opened and also heavily
cleaned just by loosening two screws, which makes for invested the development of a new technology called
rapid product change. The flow geometry of the die CreaSolv it claims can recycle used sachets cost-
head has been optimized through FEM calculations, effectively. A pilot project has been running in Indonesia
ensuringhomogeneous discharge with minimal dead space – since early this year, but plans for a full scale plant in
even for highly filled products. The quick-release die head the Philippines have not yet been finalised with Unilever
also enables a rapid conversion from strand to underwater keen to attract other corporate investors in the project.
pelletizing operation.

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61 December 2018 Plastics News