Plastic Sorting Recycling – Greek recycling company Terna Energy working with STADLER to deliver new recycling plant  15-09-2023

Plastic Sorting Recycling

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Greek recycling company Terna Energy working with STADLER to deliver new recycling plant 

Greek renewable energy company Terna Energy, part of the Gek Terna Group, is a player in clean energy production and the largest investor in Renewable Energy Sources in Greece.

The company has chosen STADLER, a globally active German company specialising in the planning, production and assembly of turnkey recycling and sorting plants. STADLER has now completed the commissioning and start-up of the latest facility, an MRF and Compost Refinement Plant in Tripoli, the capital city of the Peloponnese region, and two further projects in Sparta and Kalamata are in progress.

The company claims that the new facility stands out for its high degree of automation and efficiency, and for its capacity to adapt to changing material composition. The company claims it produces  consistently high-quality output, achieving outstanding recovery rates – above 90% for the organic fraction, plastic containers, bottles and paper, and 80% for biofilms and PE film. It is also designed to facilitate maintenance, with easy access to all components and motors for service. Plastic Sorting Recycling

High efficiency and adaptability for consistently high-quality output

The sorting plant receives mixed Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) with an input capacity of 30 to 40tph in a single line. It is processed to produce a high-quality output of recyclates and organic material. The former – PET, HDPE, PP/PS, Foils, Paper, Cardboards, Ferrous and non-Ferrous cans and containers –are sorted into automatic bunkers then baled. The latter, in fractions below 60mm from Anaerobic Digestion and 65-85mm from vessel composting, are further processed in the compost refinement plant with a capacity of 10tph, producing two fractions of clean compost with different specifications and material size.

STADLER claims its design team developed a plant that delivers the high-quality output required by Terna Energy, effectively addressing the challenge presented by the peculiarities of the waste stream in the region: “The Peloponnese is a very touristic region, and this has an effect on the composition of the waste, with high variations in seasonal consumption and diversity of packaging,” explains Dimitris Blanas, Head of Sales Greece & Middle East at STADLER. Plastic Sorting Recycling

The process begins with two trommel screens then a STADLER STT5000 Ballistic Separator that separates the rolling, flat and screened fractions. At this stage of the process, Pellenc ST COMPACT optical sorters, seamlessly integrated with STADLER’s high-speed conveyors, come into play to sort waste by material and color on the two main lines: 2D for flat objects such as mixed paper, cardboard and film, and 3D for hollow objects such as bottles, containers and trays.

These sorters, which feature Pellenc ST’s latest advanced technology, are perfect for the task with their compact size, low energy consumption and high level of performance, as well as their capability to manage the volumes and variations in the feed: “The high capacity of this equipment will be able to absorb the increase of waste volumes, says Steve Halpin-Gosset, Regional Sales Director, South Europe at Pellenc ST. “Thanks to their high scalability, sorting settings can also be adapted according to input stream composition changes.” PET food containers

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UBQ closes $70 million funding round

Israel-based cleantech company UBQ Materials has raised $70 million in a financing round led by Eden Global Partners, the company announced today. The round was joined by return investors in the company, including TPG Rise Climate, the investment arm of American private equity firm TPG; Battery Ventures; and M&G’s Catalyst strategy, a UK-based investor specialising in long-term impact investments.

The funding will be used to support the company’s continued scale-up and global expansion. Next to the industrial-scale 80 kT/pa facility in Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands which is scheduled to open later this month,  the company operates a small-scale plant at Kibbutz Tze’elim in Israel, which can produce around 7,000 tons of material a year. The new funding will enable the company to expand and build additional facilities in Europe and North America. Plastic Sorting Recycling

“We believe the market opportunity for UBQ’s materials is enormous and look forward to supporting UBQ’s world-class management team as they continue to grow the business,” said David Dwek, Chief Executive Officer of Eden Global Partners.

UBQ Materials was founded in 2012 by Yehuda Pearl, a co-founder of Sabra; Jack Tato Bigio, and Eran Lev. The company has developed and patented a closed-loop process, which converts garbage waste – including food waste, mixed plastics, cardboard, paper, and dirty diapers – into a new, sustainable raw material for the manufacturing of everyday goods across a multitude of industries. The process works by breaking down the heterogeneous waste streams into their basic, natural components before reconstituting them to create a brand-new material.  The organic trash  – around 70-80% of UBQ’s feedstock is broken down to its particulate constructs—lignin, cellulose, fibres, and sugars—and then reassembled and bound together into a matrix. The remaining 20-30% are mixed plastics that melt and bond into the matrix, creating a climate-positive and highly recyclable thermoplastic material. Plastic Sorting Recycling

UBQ has partnered with leading industry brands, including Mercedes-Benz, PepsiCo, and McDonald’s, who have already integrated UBQ into durable and semi-durable products such as car parts, footwear, pallets, display stands, panels, and planters.

Over 3 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are expected to be produced annually by 2050 while current approaches to waste management continue to contribute to climate change. Landfills are the third largest human source of methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years, while incineration emits 1.7 kg CO2eq for every kilogram of MSW incinerated. Every kilogram of Israeli-manufactured UBQ replaces 1 kg of oil-based plastic, diverts 1.3 kg of waste from landfills and incinerators, and prevents up to 11.7 kg of CO2eq emissions measured over a 20-year time horizon.

“UBQ has pioneered a fully sustainable resource, pivotal for existing manufacturing industries across endless applications,” said co-founder and co-CEO Bigio.

This approach simplifies and enhances the recycling of lithium, making it both more accessible and safer

Chinese scientists have unveiled a technique for extracting lithium from depleted battery anodes and utilizing it to create fresh cathodes.

The recycling of lithium-ion batteries is a crucial but intricate endeavor. It is an essential step towards establishing a truly sustainable mobility system, demanding intricate and often costly industrial processes. However, a team of researchers from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS and UCAS) has introduced an innovative method that effectively addresses many of the challenges associated with lithium recovery from end-of-life batteries. Plastic Sorting Recycling

In conventional processes, the focus is on extracting lithium from the cathode, the electrode containing the highest lithium content. Unfortunately, this approach comes with numerous complications linked to the presence of other materials that must be separated from lithium. On the other hand, extracting lithium from the anode, primarily composed of graphite, is comparatively more straightforward. This can even be accomplished without completely discharging the battery. Nonetheless, this procedure poses a significant fire hazard and the risk of explosions.

The breakthrough by Chinese scientists, published in the Angewandte Chemie journal, leverages aprotic organic solutions to efficiently recover lithium from the anode. Aprotic substances, which do not release hydrogen ions, prevent the formation of hydrogen gas during lithium recovery. This results in safer conditions without the threat of fires.

Moreover, the adopted solutions consist of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and an ether serving as a solvent. The PAH can selectively absorb positively charged lithium ions from the graphite anode in a controlled and highly efficient manner. This not only reduces waste but also allows the lithium-PAH solutions to be directly employed as reagents to replenish exhausted cathodes, effectively rejuvenating them.

Additionally, the versatility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon materials allows for customization based on the intended application. Plastic Sorting Recycling

This groundbreaking discovery significantly streamlines  the process from recovering lithium from end-of-life batteries to the creation of new batteries. China, having already secured a leading position in battery production, now appears poised to assert its dominance in the field of recycling as well.

Evonik Teams Up with REMONDIS to Advance Sustainable Polyurethane Recycling

Essen, Germany – Evonik, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has entered into a strategic partnership with the REMONDIS Group, a prominent recycling company, to bolster the circular economy in the flexible polyurethane foam industry. This collaboration marks a significant step toward Evonik’s goal of closing the material loop within the polyurethane sector by securing a consistent supply of end-of-life mattress foams. The partnership will actively support Evonik’s ongoing development of its chemical recycling process.

Evonik has pioneered an innovative hydrolysis technique that allows for the recovery of key components from polyurethane foam, subsequently repurposing them as high-quality building blocks for manufacturing new mattresses. This groundbreaking process is currently undergoing testing at a pilot plant in Hanau, and the next phase will involve trials at a larger demonstration facility. Plastic Sorting Recycling

In Europe, it is estimated that over 250 kilotons of polyurethane foam from discarded mattresses are either incinerated or sent to landfills each year. Evonik and REMONDIS are committed to reducing this environmental impact by ensuring that valuable materials are reintroduced into the raw material cycle, thereby decreasing the reliance on fossil resources within the polyurethane value chain. “The pursuit of circularity in the realm of flexible polyurethane foams is paramount for the environment and the long-term sustainability of our industry. It provides an opportunity for us to act in harmony with the interests of the environment, the industry, and consumers alike,” explained Thomas Wessel, a member of Evonik’s Executive Board responsible for sustainability.

The REMONDIS Group brings its expertise in sorting PU flexible foams from waste, ensuring consistent quality in the recycling process. This facilitates the transformation of these materials into chemical recyclates through Evonik’s hydrolysis method. Dr. Patrick Glöckner, Head of Evonik’s Global Circular Economy Program, emphasized the importance of such collaborations, stating, “Working with REMONDIS allows us to transition from linear value chains to robust circular systems. Authentic circularity thrives within networks, which is why we are actively expanding our collaborative efforts.”

The successful partnership with flexible foam producer The Vita Group, initiated in 2021, has already demonstrated that Evonik’s hydrolysis process yields raw materials of superior quality compared to conventional recycling methods. Increased adoption of recycled materials helps reduce dependence on fossil resources and lessens the ecological footprint of the polyurethane industry. Initial findings also indicate a significant reduction in the CO2 footprint when compared to mattress production using fossil resources. The demonstration plant aims to validate this on a larger scale. Plastic Sorting Recycling

Jürgen Ephan, Managing Director of REMONDIS Recycling GmbH & Co. KG, emphasized the societal responsibility of closing material life cycles, stating, “For us, closing material life cycles is not only a business objective but also an expression of our responsibility towards society as a whole. Conserving raw materials worldwide and processing them repeatedly is a fundamental requirement for sustainable environmental and climate protection.” Ephan further highlighted REMONDIS’ commitment to continually developing new processes to optimize material cycles and welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Evonik to address the challenge of recovering raw materials from foam mattresses.

Initially, the project will focus on the North Rhine-Westphalia region in Germany, with the ultimate goal of developing a scalable technology and business model that can be expanded globally. Plastic Sorting Recycling

Zinc-air batteries – Start-up establishes UK’s first pilot plant for recycling plastic lab waste 14-09-2023

Plastic Sorting Recycling