Plastics News - Show Daily - October 21, 2022 - 5

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Plastics News, October 21, 2022 * 5
Saperatec combining technologies to separate laminates
By Jim Johnson
Plastics News Staff
Companies
have
developed
countless ways to combine plastic,
metal, paper and even glass
into useful products that keep
food fresh and offer protection.
But separating these constituents
at the end of a product's useful
life has been much more of a
challenge. So much so that many
of these multilayer products end
up as trash.
A German company, however,
is on the verge of opening its
fi rst commercial-scale
processing
plant to delaminate thin-layer
composite materials, allowing for
them to be recycled.
Saperatec GmbH has spent
years developing an approach
that separates plastics and other
materials from one another using
a combination of chemistry and
mechanics.
" Our world relies on advanced
materials, " CEO Thorsten Hornung
said. " Many of these important
aspects of life rely on composite
materials. And composite
materials are, on the other side,
hard to recycle. Because you have
combination of plastics, paper,
metals, glass and so on. "
Currently under construction,
Saperatec expects to open its
fi rst recycling facility to handle
composite packaging in Dessau,
Germany, next year with an initial
plan of processing 18,000 metric
tons of material each year. Eventually,
that number is expected to
reach 30,000 tonnes.
" It's a hot wash process. It's
very similar to when I put my
laundry in the washing machine
on Saturdays, " explained Hornung
during an Oct. 19 chat on
the K show fl oor.
" Packaging is where we are
center stage right now. That's
where we commercialized the
technology, right now. But we
also have working solutions plastic
compositions like car safety
glasses, like electronic device
displays, " he said.
Except the washing machine
is actually a giant vessel - think
something like a fermentation
tank found at a craft brewery -
that heats and stirs composite
packaging that's been shredded
to just a few centimeters in size.
" Then we add our specially formulated
separation liquid, " Hornung
said.
Chemistry allows the liquid to
get in between layers and the heat
and agitation helps complete the
process, resulting in plastics separating
from other constituents.
This fi rst plant will run on a
continuous basis by relying on
the output of 10 separate delamination
tanks, the CEO explained.
While delamination will take place
as a batch process, the facility actually
will operate on a continuous
basis in the steps leading up
to and after delamination by moving
from one tank to the next.
Saperatec uses different chemical
mixtures for different applications
based on what is being
processed.
Once materials are separated,
they are washed, screened, sorted
and dried. The separation liquid
is reconditioned and can be
reused more than 30 times, the
company said. And the chemistry,
which Saperatec does not reveal,
is so mild that spent liquid can be
discharged to municipal wastewater
treatment plants, the CEO
said. There are no solvents used
in the water-based approach.
Saperatec initially will focus
on fl exible packaging and tubes
with aluminum foil barriers and
beverage cartons with plastics
and aluminum layers. The
technology,
however, " opens
the door for future recyclability
solutions " for other types of
composite packaging as well as
other applications that combine
plastics, metal, glass and paper,
the company said.
The
company's
commercial-scale
facility, now under construction
in Dessau, measures
5,000 square meters or about
53,800 square feet and is costing
tens of millions of euros, but the
CEO declined to be more specifi c
about those costs.
Hornung, from his booth,
hopes to attract attention for his
company's technology that will
lead to further investment. This
will allow for additional facilities
to be constructed over time.
The Dessau location is slated to
open next year, and the company
aspires to have one overseas location
in the company's plans by
sometime in 2024.
About 40 percent of the equipment
is in place at the new Dessau
location, and the company
expects everything to be in place
by February. " We hope to commission
the plant by the middle
of 2023 and start commercial
production in quarter three, " Hornung
said.
" We are set to grow this technology
beyond this fi rst plant.
We will start looking for further
projects next year, essentially
discussions about that have already
started. We plan to bring
this technology not only to the
European Union but also to other
markets, " he said.
Saperatec, which has a pilot-scale
location in Bielefeld, Germany,
that opened in 2014, was
founded in 2011. Like many startups,
Saperatec spent years fi nding
funding for a commercial facility.
And then COVID-19 came
along to help further cause delays,
the CEO explained.
SAPERATEC
Hall 9,
Booth D17
Saperatec CEO Thorsten Hornung.
Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel
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