Based in Giza, Egypt, the biggest PET bottle-to-bottle recycler in MENA region is expanding and upgrading its existing plant with another Starlinger PET recycling system and an additional solid-state-polycondensation (SSP) reactor.
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| Christian Lechner, Sales Manager Starlinger recycling technology, and Andreas Pechhacker, General Manager Starlinger recycling technology, present BariQ COO Ahmed ElKasaby with the Starlinger crystal award. ©BariQ |
The new recycling system, a recoSTAR PET 215 HC iV+ including a viscoSTAR 350 SSP reactor, reaches an output of 2700 kg/h and will enable BariQ to increase its total production capacity to 35,000 metric tonnes of food-grade rPET pellets per year. The viscoSTAR 350 SSP reactor - the biggest size of the latest reactor generation - provides extended processing capacity and residence time while it keeps the footprint of the new recycling line compact like the first Starlinger PET recycling line BariQ installed in 2012.
BariQ will also upgrade its existing Starlinger recoSTAR PET 165 iV+ recycling line with a new melt filter for fine filtration and an additional SSP reactor. This setup not only increases the line's output, it also allows the production of rPET types beyond the regular bottle-to-bottle grades, guaranteeing best decontamination results and 24/7 production of rPET with highest quality specifications. BariQ's investment also includes the latest sorting equipment from TOMRA Recycling to ensure optimum quality of the input material.
The contracts for the new equipment were signed during a ceremony held on February 13, 2022, at the BariQ plant located in the CPC Industrial Park, 6th October City, Giza. Besides experts and international brand owners from the Middle East and African plastics and water/beverage sectors and the European equipment suppliers, the guests included also high-ranking Egyptian politicians and ambassadors of several African countries as well as the USA. Members of the management of INTRO, the parent company that acquired BariQ in 2021, and BariQ explained details of the company's sustainability strategy and drivers for the plant expansion in presentations during the event. The expansion is planned to be finalized in 2023.
According to BariQ, the high variability of the input material and the rising quality requirements of the customers are the biggest challenges the company has been facing since it started operations in 2012. BariQ sources its post-consumer bottles mainly from local collection and GCC countries. As bottle quality and decontamination vary greatly, the recycling equipment must be able to handle such demanding conditions in order to achieve top rPET quality and meet customer requirements.
"Starlinger has been there for BariQ from the start. We counted on the on-site and remote support from Starlinger, and they even exceeded our expectations. During the past decade, Starlinger has supported us with their reliable equipment and technology, meeting the highest quality specifications and rising quality requirements of the customers, and handling the entire variability of raw materials. As for the new line, the technical discussions with Starlinger started two years ago, ensuring that the line is equipped with the latest technology and meets all standards to achieve top quality in rPET resin production. Believing in the decontamination efficiency of Starlinger technology and their excellent customer support, BariQ again choose Starlinger for the expansion project", said Ahmed ElKasaby, Chief Operations Officer at BariQ.
"When BariQ took up operation in 2012, they were our first customer for PET recycling in Africa", explained Andreas Pechhacker, General Manager Starlinger recycling technology. "The planning for the plant had started already two years before - our bottle-to-bottle recycling experts worked closely with BariQ to customize the machine design during this time, taking into account the local bottle stream and requirements for food contact rPET. During the past decade we have built up a very close partnership. BariQ was able to turn their vision into reality - their ambition to set standards was rewarded with several certificates and the acquisition of customers all over the globe. Starlinger is proud to support BariQ on their way to become the biggest PET bottle-to-bottle recycling company in the MEA region."
Founded in 2011, BariQ is the first food-grade rPET producer in Egypt and the biggest in the MENA region. The company started production of food-grade rPET with a Starlinger PET recycling line in 2012 and holds a positive EFSA opinion and an FDA Letter of Non-Objection (LNO). It is also the first non-European recycling company to be registered with ECOEMBES Spain. In November 2021 BariQ was acquired by INTRO Resource Recovery, a member of INTRO Group, to strengthen its waste management portfolio. With the upcoming facility expansion, BariQ aims to recycle 3.5 million PET bottles per year, producing 35,000 tonnes of food-grade rPET for new bottles and saving 80,000 tonnes of CO2. BariQ supplies the food-grade rPET to major converters and brand-owners in Europe and worldwide.
