Extrusion International USA 5-2021

26 Extrusion International 5/2021 EXTRUSION INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS „ Founded in 1992, EREMA North America (ENA), based in Ipswich, MA, distributes recycling systems from the Austrian machine manufacturer in North America and offers equip- ment trials at the customer center, on-site service, machine components and technical support. In December 2020, the 1,000th machine for ENA was shipped to South Carolina, from EREMA headquarters in Austria. It is now in operation at the facility of recycling service provider PreZero to recycle post consumer plastic waste. PreZero US is a subsidiary of PreZero International and start- ed operation in the USA in 2018 following the acquisition of a recycling services provider. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company collects and processes washed LDPE and LLDPE fi lm, containers and lids on the east and west coasts of the US. The recycling facilities in Southern California and South Carolina process these post consumer material streams to produce high quality resins (LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE and PE), which is used as a substitute for virgin material in many appli- cations. “This way we prevent this waste material from end- ing up in land fi lls. With our recycling facilities on both the east and west coasts, we can signi fi cantly shorten transport distances, which in turn also reduces CO 2 emissions,” says Hendrik Dullinger, Vice President of Business Development. Not only in Europe but also at its recycling facility in Califor- nia, PreZero has already been using EREMA recycling tech- nology. The new INTAREMA ® 1716 TVEplus ® machine, which has now been started up in South Carolina, is equipped with a twin laser fi lter and is used for processing washed LDPE fl akes. The output rate is 3300 to 3900 lbs/h. The combined production capacity of the two facilities is at least 20,000 tons per year. The special challenge in recycling this material is its mixed composition. “The fi lmmaterial is printed and contains mois- ture, which makes it dif fi cult to process. However, our tech- nology copes very well with this,” explains Andreas Kreindl, Sales Manager at EREMA. Complete homogenization, fi ltra- tion and degassing of the melt take place in one step, with Capacity for Post Consumer Recycling Expanded melt fi ltration upstream of extruder degassing, thanks to TVEplus technology. This ensures that only thoroughly melt- ed, fi ltered and homogenized material can pass the degas- sing zone of the extruder. In addition to the high quality of the recycled pellets, a con- sistent recycling process was the decisive criterion for PreZe- ro’s decision in favor of this technology. Hendrik Dullinger also states: “Strong local support and experience in the US recycling market played a major role in our decision.” The recycled pellets are used primarily in the production of fi lm and grocery bags. PreZero’s goal is to expand its recycling capacity for fi lm and other grades of plastic across the States and promote plastics recycling in the USA. “By working together with the machine manufacturers, our suppliers and our fi lm customers, we can promote the circular economy and work towards a sustain- able future,” says Hendrik Dullinger. PreZero prezero.us EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH www.erema.com Hendrik Dullinger, Vice President of Business Development at PreZero US, showing the high quality resins (Photo: PreZero) „ Solvay announced the installation completion of its new thermoplastic composites (TPC) manufacturing facility at its Greenville, South Carolina site. At full production capacity, the new line will add more than 30 positions at the 27,000- square-foot facility. The project represents a major milestone in Solvay’s efforts to industrialize its TPC capacity. A key driver for the world- New Thermoplastic Composite Capacity in the United States Added class facility is growing demand from energy companies, sup- portedby increasing aerospace and automotive demand. The new product line will have the ability to manufacture unidi- rectional composite tape from a range of high-performance polymers including PVDF, PPS and PEEK. “The TPC solutions that will be manufactured in our Green- ville facility will help our energy, aerospace and automotive