FELDKIRCHEN/DONAU (Austria). The market-introduction of P:REACT at the NPE2015 is a World Premiere. The P:REACT follows the design principles of LSP (Liquid State Polycondensation) and considerably improves the properties of PET – ideal for PET-Converters or PET-Recyclers.
The LSP-Process utilizes the inherent capability of PET to post condensate in the molten phase under vacuum. This post condensation leads to an increase of IV. The high performance vacuum effectively decontaminates the material from harmful chemicals – securing further use of the material for 100% food contact.
As molten PET enters the vertical part of P:REACT, strands are formed to create a suitable surface to volume ratio. The material is then collected in a horizontal drum and slowly pushed forward. Post condensation starts immediately as the strands are formed and is set forth until PET exits P:REACT. IV increase is controlled by the residue time of the molten PET inside P:REACT and therefore can be adjusted to a desired level. The settings of parameters allow the control unit to maintain the desired IV-level within a small tolerance-band.
The decontamination performance is extremely effective, as carried out in the liquid phase of PET. The cleaning of the material exceeds limits set by recognized food safety standards, but also effectively removes spin oil from fibers. The IV increase can be measured in approx. 0,01 dl/g per minute.
“NGR has chosen the NPE2015 for the World-Premiere of the P:REACT-Series, because we can attract highly interested plastic-specialists in the field of PET-recycling – both from the converters side, but also from the end-of-life recyclers”, quotes Mr. Josef Hochreiter, CEO at NGR.
Continuous Operation, Rapid IV-Increase and High Decontamination Performance
The continuous operation of P:REACT provides rPellets within a narrow IV-range, suitable for usage in valuable high end applications (i.e. fiber-spinning or sheet extrusion). Batch related IV-fluctuations are simply designed out. The favorable conditions inside P:REACT (temperature/surface:volume ratio of the melt/high performance vacuum), easily initiates the post-condensation-process of PET. This results in IV increase rates of some 0,01 dl/g per minute. Faster reaction leads to faster results and a more profitable operation. The separation of harmful contaminants, as spin-oils or those components not desired for food contact, are removed by high performance vacuum. This high decontamination performance allows the use of P:REACT for many applications for highest flexibility. Scientific, third party tests show, that harmful components in the PET-melt are easily and securely removed within P:REACT, ensuring highest safety standards for 100% food-contact.
Automatic Control of IV-Level and High Energy Efficiency
P:REACT actively controls the residue-time of the PET-melt inside the reactor and automatically adjusts the machine parameters to receive the desired IV at a consistent level. The recycling of PET requires the material to be melted. P:REACT uses the melt-energy for post-condensing PET. The reactor itself only maintains the heat-level. P:REACT is therefore highly energy-efficient, which results in low operating costs.
To learn more about the P:REACT, please visit the NGR booth no. 7551, West Hall at the NPE2015.
