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Austrian recycler PET to PET recorded a 9% increase in the recycling of PET bottles. Last year, due to the growing demand for recycled material, PET to PET approached Austrian-based Starlinger recycling technology with the request for an increase in capacity of its recycling line. Since 2010, PET to PET has operated a Starlinger recoSTAR PET 125 HC iV+, which flakes are processed into high-quality regranulate.

“With Starlinger’s technology, we have chosen one of the safest methods that guarantees thorough decontamination of the material according to the FIFO principle,” says Christian Strasser, managing director of PET to PET. “In this regard, the strict requirements of our owners, especially Coca-Cola, greatly influenced our decision when purchasing the line.”

Through a detailed analysis, the companies jointly identified areas that showed potential for an increase in performance. Based on this analysis, Starlinger compiled a package that was integrated into the line in several stages. The upgrade involved numerous process steps such as drying, extrusion, filtration and energy recovery. Working in partnership with Starlinger, the output was recently raised by 20%. 

“After completion of the revamp, the line runs at 20% more output with consistent quality and constant IV,” says Christian Lovranich, head of process engineering at Starlinger. “By doubling the capacity for energy recovery, we have not only made the line more productive, but also much more energy-efficient. The successful upgrade at PET to PET shows that even after many years of reliable operation, recycling lines can still achieve an increase in performance.”

PET to PET processed about one billion PET bottles or 25,400 tons in 2018.