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Taking responsibility together - The product carbon footprint at RUDOLF

    PET as a raw material. Efficient recycling starts with a stable process.

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    PET-Recycling – What’s Behind It?

    Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a thermoplastic polymer from the polyester family that has become an integral part of our daily lives. Thanks to its low density, high mechanical stability, and excellent chemical resistance, PET is used in a wide variety of applications. It is precisely these advantageous material properties that have led to PET becoming established worldwide and being produced in enormous quantities today. Yet behind this success story lies a significant consumption of resources. The production of just one kilogram of PET requires approximately 1.9 kilograms of crude oil.

    To sustainably reduce the environmental impact of PET, efficient recycling is essential. In this context, it is not only the recovery of the material that is crucial, but also the quality of the resulting recyclate. Modern recycling processes must therefore ensure clear process parameters and reproducible material properties.

    Defined washing stages and precise density separation ensure stable process parameters and reproducible flake quality

    Before PET can be reintroduced into high-quality applications, it undergoes a complex recycling process. The foundation for this is a well-managed, efficient process that ranges from collection through washing to density separation. After collection and sorting, mechanical pre-cleaning takes place via nozzles and friction. The material is then washed with detergent and caustic soda in hot water. This reliably removes adhesives, labels, films, paper, and organic residues. This is followed by central flotation separation: PET sinks to the bottom due to its higher density, while polyolefins such as PE or PP remain floating on the surface. A final rinse and drying remove residual chemicals and lay the foundation for high-quality PET flakes. The purer the flakes, the more versatile their applications. However, this process is only as good as the tools that make it more efficient.

    Cleaning, Defoaming, Separation: The Chemical Infrastructure of Modern PET Recycling Processes.

    Clean First: Removing the Tough Stuff.
    RUCOGEN® forms the backbone of the cleaning phase and is specifically designed to meet the challenges of PET washing lines. These products offer strong dispersing and dirt-binding capabilities and remove stubborn foreign materials such as adhesives, labels, films, and paper. They are virtually foam-free and odorless.
    Keeping Plastic Recycling Running Smoothly.
    RUSTOL® controls one of the biggest process disruptions in PET recycling: foam formation. Where alkalis, surfactants, and mechanical turbulence come together, foam forms. And this can bring the entire process to a standstill. RUSTOL® products not only prevent foam formation but also break down existing foam layers.
    Precision where it counts. For efficient float-sink separation.
    In addition to cleaning, precise flotation-sinking separation is crucial for the quality of PET. RUCO®-FLOC removes air bubbles and stabilizes the flotation process, ensuring that PET sinks reliably and polyolefins float securely on the surface. This results in clearly separated fractions that form the basis for high-quality recycled materials and closed-loop product cycles.
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    Turning waste into valuable resources.

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