Extrusion International 3-2022

42 Extrusion International 3/2022 Recycling Plastic Washing System for National Test Centre Europe’s first independent testing and research centre with facilities on industrial scale, the NTCP (National Test centre Circular Plastics), in the Netherlands, founded in 2018, has set out to examine the behaviour of different plastics during sorting and washing. The goal is to optimise processes quantitatively, qualitatively and withmore efficient energy use, in order to promote plastics recycling in line with the circular economy model. D utch and foreign clients are already showing great interest in the testing options. "With its modular design, Lindner Washtech’s plastic washing system, to be installed in mid- 2022, will make a signifcant con - tribution to our research and the optimisation of vari- ous plastic streams," says Martine Brandsma, direc- tor of the NTCP. Tucked away in Friesland, a north- ern Dutch province, lies the 50.000-strong community of Heerenveen. Since 2018, it has also been home to the National Test centre Circular Plastics (NTCP). It is Europe’s frst independent testing and research centre which can analyse heterogeneous plastic waste streams down to the smallest part. Rather than relying on usual test set-ups which are common- ly used in research institutions, it is instead equipped with state-of-the-art facilities: raw, industrial, noisy and... using real waste. Playing with the Settings NTCP’s concept is actually quite simple: the more plastic that enters the correct sorting stream and then takes the correct route to the relevant mechanical and chemical recyclers, the higher the percentage of plas- tics that remain in the loop. Though this may sound simple in theory, the reality is more complex. According to Brandsma, “It’s like a chess game, played on seven boards all at once – and chess moves are being made on each one.” When one applies this to recycling, this means that everyone who takes part in the process – be it the collectors, sorters or recyclers – is in a constant state of development. This means that the system too is constantly changing. In order to examine individual or larger steps in the process, the NTCP has a 25 by 20 metre long, and 9 metre high, industrial sorting system. This simulates the entire sorting process (up to 2 t/h). The modular design allows for settings to be adapted to different testing requirements, which can then be analysed in detail. In this way, one can also test how dif- ferent sorting techniques interact. A NewWashing System NTCP’s current sorting system takes up half of the thousand square metres of available production space. The other half is reserved for a new washing system, which will be commissioned from and installed by the plastic recycling specialist Lindner Washtech in August 2022. Lindner Washtech’s modular system allows for each individual step of the washing process to be exam- ined and quantifed in detail. Freek Van Rhijn, techni - cal director of the NTCP says, “Soon we will be able to simulate and optimise the entire washing process for all materials. From shredding, dry washing, cold and hot washing, density separation, mechanical and thermal drying, all the way to separating with a flake sorter. We can also focus on the detergents required and the envi- ronmental impact of usingmore or less water. Howdoes washing by fve or ten degrees less affect energy con - sumption? What ends up in the waste water and how much does it cost to dispose of? With the new washing system, we can examine every single step, from sorting all the way to the fnal clean plastic flake.” For several months, Van Rhijn has worked closely with Lindner Washtech’s engineers to develop the new plastic washing system. Harald Hoffmann, the frm’s Managing Director fromGroßbottwar (Germany), is happy to active- LindnerWashtech’s complex and state-of-theartmodularwashing systemwill be installed inAugust 2022andallows for each individual stepof thewashingprocess tobeexaminedandquantified indetail. (Copyright LindnerWashtech)