DePoly and PTI create closed-loop PET bottle using mixed waste feedstock
High-grade PET bottles are one of the more challenging end products to produce with recycled material
DePoly, a Swiss cleantech company specializing in recycling PET/polyester plastics, and PTI (Plastic Technologies Inc), a sustainable plastic packaging design and development company, have created a closed-loop recycled PET bottle.
Using a mixed stream of feedstock, ranging from PET plastic packaging, polyester fibers, and industrial waste, DePoly's plastic recycling technology was able to break down the PET and polyester back to its raw monomers, purified terephthalic acid (PTA). From this virgin-grade PTA, PET pellets were produced. Finally, these PET pellets were blown into recycled PET bottles.
"For this project we really wanted to challenge ourselves, taking a mixture of different PET- and polyester-containing waste streams that are blended and have different additives," says Dr. Gaetano Dedual, senior business development manager of DePoly. "Being able to hold this bottle in my hands, is a testament to DePoly's and PTI's ingenuity and expertise."
A fully closed loop
DePoly's challenge was to produce recycled PET that was of the right quality to be processed into bottles by injection stretch blow molding, which is generally one of the more challenging end products to produce. This project demonstrates the strengths of bringing together the technical robustness of DePoly and PTI's expertise in plastic packaging processing and manufacturing, according to the companies.
Making food-grade bottles from varied PET & polyester waste
The conclusion of a preliminary screening analysis of non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in DePoly's rPET material shows that the tested sample complies with the overall requirements for the PET typical substances in contact with all types of food, at any long-term storage, at room temperature and below, including hot fill.
"We did not really know what to expect from this first processing and prototyping trials with DePoly's chemically recycled material," says Stéphane Morier, director of project management for PTI. "For a premiere, the outcome is promising. With PTI's technical expertise, the prototyping went well and the quality and performance of the produced samples are similar to a control made from a virgin PET resin."
