Braskem announces an important investment to expand its post-consumer resin (PCR) portfolio. In partnership with Valoren, a company specializing in developing and operating technologies for transforming solid waste, Braskem will invest R$67 million in the construction of a recycling line with capacity to transform some 250 million pieces of packaging into 14,000 tons of high-quality, post-consumer resin per year. The project, which will be installed in Indaiatuba, in the interior region of São Paulo state, is expected to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2021.
The waste processed on the recycling line is mostly household, including rigid polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) materials, such as food, cleaning, hygiene and beauty product packaging. After processed, the material will be used to make high-quality PCR resin.
The recycling line is a modular complex formed by different phases of the process. Plastic waste input at the start of the process undergoes the phases of crushing, washing, extrusion and homogenization. The project arrangement is unprecedented and the machinery features cutting-edge European technology complemented by local equipment.
The project's differentials include a high-performance washing line with an optical selector for removing contaminants based on color and material type; homogenization silos; highly-accurate systems for dosing additives and inputs; and a module for eliminating odors and high-performance polymer filtering, which improves the quality of the final PCR. The system also adopts best sustainability practices, which include treatments using recirculated water to optimize water and energy use. In addition, the project reinforces Braskem's commitment to adopt best practices for controlling pellets, the form in which plastic resin is sold.
Plastic's contribution to neutralizing carbon emissions
Braskem, the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas, announced in November an expansion in its efforts to become a carbon neutral company by 2050. To achieve this target, the company's strategy considers initiatives to reduce, offset and capture carbon.
Among the targets defined, the company plans, by 2030, to reduce by 15% its greenhouse gas emissions and to expand its I'm greenTM portfolio, which comprises products focusing on the circular economy, to include, by 2025, 300,000 tons of thermoplastic resins and chemical products with recycled content and reaching 1 million tons of these products by 2030. The company also will work to achieve over the next ten years the proper disposal of 1.5 million tons of plastic waste.
