According to the “industry news” section of the K Portal: EXTRUPET, the South African rPET producer adds second recycling line
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The new machine is a recoStar PET 165 HC iV + from Starlinger (Vienna / Austria) and scheduled for delivery in early 2020, doubling the recycling capacity of the operation. It will reach a throughput of about 1,900 kg/h slightly more than the first line. The South African company says the new line will have a larger solid-state polycondensation unit to improve cleaning efficiency.
According to Extrupet group director Ravi Chanrai, the recycler plans to raise recycling capacity at its Nigerian site too. The company notes that the market in West Africa is dynamic, and there is strong demand for rPET products, such as bottles and textiles.
Extrupet Group (Pty) Ltd set up its operations in 2 000 to recycle PET bottles recovered from landfill sites. Extrupet is South Africa’s first modern recycling operation, dedicated to the recycling of post-consumer PET bottles.
The establishment of Extrupet was a clear indication that the PET industry was eager to address the challenge of recycling and the environmental problems created by the discarded PET bottles and containers.
In 2001 the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mr Valli Moosa decided that something needed to be done to combat the post-consumer waste PET that was becoming a noticeable problem. Both government and industry recognised that the problem would inevitably worsen if left unchecked. It was then that the industry approached Extrupet to develop a strategy for the collection, processing and recycling of post-consumer PET from the waste streams.
Within a year, Extrupet had established a recycling plant utilising world-class PET recycling technology and principles. In a short space of time the company established a network of collectors to scour the landscape for discarded PET containers, returning them to collection points where they received compensation for their efforts.
