Page 56 - Plastics News March 2019

PRODUCT NEWS

Simple recycling solution by Innovative nanocoating technology
POLYSTAR - at Plastimagen 2019 harnesses sunlight to degrade

microplastics
n this year’s Plastimagen (Mexico), visitors will be able
Ito see POLYSTAR’s latest development on the recycling
pelletizing technology for various types of plastic waste, ow density polyethylene film (LDPE) microplastic
including packaging film of PE, PP (non-printed to heavily Lfragments, successfully degraded in water using
printed), laminated and multi-layered film scraps and visible-light-excited heterogeneous ZnO photocatalysts.
film-on-roll. The innovative nanocoating technology was developed by
a research team from KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
From film producer to raffia producer, regrind recyclers
and professional (post-consumer) recyclers, POLYSTAR Sweden and was further investigated together with PP
offers simple-to-use and one-step recycling solutions Polymer, Sweden, as part of the EU Horizon 2020 funded
specifically designed for each industry and different project CLAIM: Cleaning Marine Litter by Developing
requirements. and Applying Innovative Methods in European Seas.
Microplastics are a global menace to the biosphere
owing to their ubiquitous distribution, uncontrolled
environmental occurrences, small sizes and long lifetimes.
While currently applied remediation methods including
filtration, incineration and advanced oxidation processes
like ozonation, all require high energy or generate
unwanted byproducts, the team of CLAIM scientists
propose an innovative toxic-free methodology reliant
solely on relatively inexpensive nanocoatings and visible
Four models of one-step, user-friendly pelletizing solutions light. The study, published in Environmental Chemistry
are designed specially for plastic producers and recyclers Letters ("Visible light photocatalytic degradation of
to increase efficiency and reduce cost via the simple but microplastic residues with zinc oxide nanorods"), is part of
efficient recycling process: CLAIM's ambition to develop a small-scale photocatalytic
1. For bag/film and flexible packaging producers – device to be deployed in wastewater plants aiding the
Compactor integration degradation and breaking down microplastics in the water
streams into harmless elements. The scientists tested the
2. For professional recyclers - Two stage recycling degradation of fragmented, low-density polyethylene
machine with enhanced degassing and filtration
(LDPE) microplastic residues, by visible light-induced
3. For raffia and jumbo bag, raffia recyclers - Single heterogeneous photocatalysis activated by zinc oxide
shaft shredder integration nanorods. Results showed a 30% increase of the carbonyl
4. Regrind recyclers - Hopper feeding – Less energy index, a marker used to demonstrate the degradation
consumption of polymeric residues. Additionally, an increase of
For producers and recyclers who are looking for a stable brittleness accompanied by a large number of wrinkles,
and efficient recycling process, our machine design cracks and cavities on the surface were recorded. "Our
provides the following benefits: study demonstrates rather positive results towards the
effectiveness of breaking low-density polyethylene, with
• Simple operation
the help of our nanocoating under artificial sunlight. In
• Easy maintenance practice this means that once the coating is applied,
• Automation on the pelletizing unit (automatic speed microplastics will be degraded solely through the help of
and pressure adjustment) sunlight. The results provide new insights into the use of
• Less machine downtime, less labor intervention a clean technology for addressing the global microplastic
pollution with reduced by-products." explains Prof.
See us at booth 1436 in Plastimagen with live machine Joydeep Dutta, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The
demonstration from April 2~5 (Centro Citibanamex, photocatalytic device is one of five marine cleaning
Mexico City).
technologies developed within the CLAIM project.

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