Coperion completed the acquisition of the German engineering company Herbold Meckesheim, which is a proven specialist in mechanical recycling of plastics and plastic waste. Herbold Meckesheim will be integrated with Coperion’s recycling product lines into the new Recycling Business Unit. As a result, customers not only benefit from vast know-how and experience in the recycling of all types of plastics but can also purchase complete recycling systems from one source. Herbold and Coperion have already presented their joint offerings at a number of trade shows throughout the year. One highlight was certainly PlastIndia in February 2023 where we proudly showed various recycling processes and plant solutions. Our offerings cover the recycling steps of shredding, washing, separating, drying, and agglomerating plastics as well as conveying, feeding, and then the processing of recyclate in a twin screw extruder. We do not only offer solutions for mechanical but also chemical recycling.

The ZS-B MEGAfeed is one of our recent developments with the objective of making recycling more efficient or in some cases even possible. The challenge was clear: Plastic recyclate with bulk densities starting as low as 20 kg/m³ has long been known for being intake-limited. Hence, for a long time, many materials were not worth recycling which composed a true barrier when it comes to the future vision of a circular economy. With this in mind, Coperion’s R&D team developed our new ZS-B MEGAfeed side feeder to dissolve this obstacle and it has proven successful! Now recycling companies can reliably feed materials with even very low bulk densities in large quantities into Coperion’s ZSK twin screw extruder. The ZS-B MEGAfeed represents a milestone in many recycling processes, and we are more than proud that it won the “Stuttgart Innovation Award 2023” in the category “Sustainability and Social Affairs” (Total of 114 contestants). The competition is organized by the office for economic development of the state capital Stuttgart/Germany, where Coperion’s headquarters are located. The ZS-B MEGAfeed is already available for sale internationally, including in India.

Before investing in a recycling plant, it is crucial to develop and test processes under realistic conditions. To better cater to the needs of recycling customers, Coperion now provides an interesting option for running recycling-related tests, namely our brand-new Recycling Innovation Center in Germany. Construction of the facility has recently been completed and contains the most modern technology for materials conveying, feeding, extrusion, pelletizing, and materials postprocessing. Even though the grand opening has to wait until spring 2024, the test center is already in use for customer tests. Are you also interested in discussing and testing your recycling processes? Do not hesitate to send us an inquiry as the booking calendar is filling up quickly.