100 Metric Tons of PET Recyclate per Day

The first truck has left the yard. Another 20 will follow. They will deliver the newest washing line from Herbold Meckesheim to Kırklareli, Türkiye, almost 2,100 kilometers away. There, in the European part of Türkiye, the latest recycling plant of the Meckesheim-based special machinery manufacturer is being built for the company Doğa. After commissioning, the washing line is expected to produce a daily output of 100 metric tons of PET recyclate. Doğa, a company hitherto active in the construction industry, intends to sell the recycled PET flakes for bottle-to-bottle applications.

“As the Doğa Group, we are proud to add the recycling sector to our activities of fields such as real estate, construction, mining and textiles,” explains Ömer Ayvacı, Chairman of the Board of the Doğa Group. “In today's world, where the concepts of environmentally friendly production are becoming increasingly important, we aim to start rPET flakes production with completely environmentally friendly solutions with our state-of-the-art machinery park as of the beginning of next year.” Ömer Ayvacı emphasizes: “We are confident that we will meet the needs of the sector with Herbold Meckesheim, a company that has mechanical recycling technology accepted all over the world. With the technical information, support and know-how provided by Herbold Meckesheim, we know that we will realize the highest quality rPET flakes production in the most efficient way.”

The special feature of Herbold's latest recycling plant is that it also supplies key components for pre-sorting, such as a debaler EWS 45/160 BA or a drum bottle wash unit HWTS 180/750. In terms of space, this section alone accounts for half of the plant layout. The actual cleaning process obeys state-of-the-art technology and starts with two force feeding granulators SMS 80/160-F7-2 SB3, the biggest in the Herbold portfolio. The hot washing and hydrocyclone stages, as well as the subsequent air separators, were designed for the required throughput. And three step dryers of the HVST 150/150 size are installed in the plant to achieve maximum capacity with minimum fines formation. In addition, the recycling line is equipped with an elaborated process water treatment.

Herbold Meckesheim has been part of Coperion's Recycling Business Unit since last year. Together, the Stuttgart-based machinery and plant manufacturer and Herbold Meckesheim provide comprehensive and innovative overall solutions based on the complementary and aligned technologies of both companies. From mechanical processing, from size reduction, washing, separating, drying and agglomeration of plastics, through bulk material handling, feeding and extrusion, to compounding and pelletizing, the business unit covers the entire process and thus value chain. A global network of engineering sites and service locations ensures fast order fulfillment, installation and commissioning as well as competent and fast on-site service. Modern test centers for product development and customer trials round off the portfolio of Coperion's Recycling Business Unit.