At Plastindia 2023, to be held from 1-5 Feb, Gneuss will show its comprehensive portfolio of innovative technologies for demanding recycling applications.

Gneuss’ MRS Extrusion Technology has proven itself as an alternative for the reprocessing of contaminated materials like polyester, polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylenes.

In combination with the highly efficient Gneuss Rotary Filtration Systems and optimized vacuum technology, customizable recycling lines tailor-made for a specific material can be engineered.

Several Letters of Non Objection (LNOs) from the FDA, EFSA conformity and local approvals in Latin America confirm the decontamination efficiency of the technology.

OMNI Recycling Machine

The company has developed new OMNI Recycling Machine for demanding recycling needs. It processes industrial and post-consumer waste from all kinds of polymers and in all forms and shapes. It includes a 3C Rotary Feeder, an MRSjump extruder, a fully automatic melt filtration system RSFgenius and an online viscometer VIS.

The newly developed 3C Rotary Feeder makes it possible to use low bulk density materials without any external processing steps. A conveyor belt feeds shredded reclaim material into the hopper, where a fast-rotating disc with knives cuts, compacts and pre-conditions the material.

Gneuss OMNImax Recycling Machine with MRSjump Extrusion System, Rotary Filtration System and 3C Rotary Feeder.

The knives add energy into the material and start the heating and degassing process before the material is automatically fed into the MRSjump extruder.

The MRS extruder is based on conventional single screw technology but is equipped with a multiple screw section for devolatilization. It enables very efficient and gentle decontamination of PET, whilst achieving the requirements for direct food contact standards.

The MRS extruder permits the processing of R-PET directly into high quality end products such as packaging sheet, strapping tape or filaments without pre-drying by using a simple and rugged vacuum system.

This is achieved by means of its unique and patented processing section. The Multi Rotation Section is a drum containing multiple satellite single screws, driven by a ring gear and pinion transmission.

The satellite screws rotate in the opposite direction to the main screw. This disproportionately increases the surface exchange of the polymer melt. A large opening for venting, exposing the full length of the satellite screws, is completely under vacuum.

This provides unrestricted access to the polymer melt, the surface of which is constantly replaced at high rate by the action of the satellite screws in the multiple screw section.

The surface area – and the surface area exchange rate – available for devolatilization are far greater than in other extrusion systems. As the thermal and mechanical stress on the polymer melt is minimized, PET processed on the MRS extruder has high optical and mechanical properties.

OMNIboost Recycling Machine including polyreactor JUMP

The OMNIboost Recycling Machine with an polyreactor JUMP processes PET waste, whether form from industry or postconsumer, directly into high-quality products. The integrated JUMP can lift the IV value of a PET melt up to 0.95 dl/g.

OMNIboost Recycling Machine with JUMP polyreactor, MRS Extrusion System, Rotary Filtration Systems and 3C Rotary Feeder.

In the JUMP the polymer passes over several slow turning elements which create a polymer film, the surface of which is constantly renewed. The reactor vessel is kept under vacuum, through which volatile substances are reliably removed.

By regulating the residence time in the reactor, the vacuum, the fill level and the speed of rotation of the agitating devices, the polycondensation reaction can be altered to achieve the required product properties.

The JUMP is a robust and reliable liquid state polycondensation system (LSP) and a compact, quick and efficient alternative to conventional solid state systems (SSP). It enables direct reintroduction of the polymer into the production process without the need to remelt the PET.

Rotary Filtration Systems

The continuous Rotary Filtration Systems are characterized by a filter disk on which the screen cavities are located in a ring pattern. Screens can be changed on the part of the filter disk that is not active in the melt channel, while the production process continues to run without any interruptions or disturbances.

Patented Rotary Filtration System RSFgenius.

Gneuss’ RSFgenius operates with an integrated back-flushing system offering self-cleaning for very demanding applications and high quality requirements. Screens can be automatically re-used up to 400 times and filtration finenesses below 10 microns/1200 mesh are available.

Retrofitting a fully-automatic RSFgenius to an existing extrusion line, whether in a pelletizing, sheet, fiber or pipe application, permits the use of more contaminated (and often cheaper) material and/or the use of finer screens. Every retrofit is tailor-made and usually without the need to move any existing equipment.