Recycling of polymer materials used in construction. "Recycling of polymer materials in Europe: new and proven solutions" Recycling of polymer materials

During the operation of polymer products, waste appears.

Used polymers under the influence of temperature, environment, air oxygen, various radiations, moisture, depending on the duration of these effects, change their properties. Significant volumes polymer materials, which are used for a long time and thrown into landfills, pollute the environment, so the problem of recycling polymer waste is extremely relevant. At the same time, these wastes are good raw materials for appropriate adjustment of compositions for the manufacture of products for various purposes.

Used polymer building materials include polymer films used for covering greenhouses, for packaging building materials and products; barn flooring: roll and tile polymer materials for floors, finishing materials for walls and ceilings; heat and sound insulating polymer materials; containers, pipes, cables, moldings and profile products etc.

In the process of collecting and recycling secondary polymer raw materials, various methods of identifying polymers are used. Among the many methods, the most common are the following:

· IR spectroscopy (comparison of the spectra of known polymers with recyclable ones);

· ultrasound (US). The basis is the attenuation of ultrasound. The index is determined H.L. in relation to the attenuation of a sound wave to frequency. The ultrasonic device is connected to a computer and installed on a waste disposal production line. For example, index H.L. LDPE 2.003 10 6 sec with a deviation of 1.0%, and H.L. PA-66 - 0.465 10 6 sec with a deviation of ± 1.5%;

· X-rays;

· laser pyrolysis spectroscopy.

The separation of mixed (household) thermoplastic waste by type is carried out using the following main methods: flotation, separation in liquid media, aeroseparation, electrical separation, chemical methods and deep cooling methods. The most widely used method is flotation, which allows the separation of mixtures of industrial thermoplastics such as PE, PP, PS and PVC. Plastics are separated by adding surfactants to water, which selectively change their hydrophilic properties. In some cases, an effective way to separate polymers may be to dissolve them in a common solvent or in a mixture of solvents. By treating the solution with steam, PVC, PS and a mixture of polyolefins are isolated; product purity is at least 96%. Flotation and separation methods in heavy media are the most effective and cost-effective of all those listed above.

Recycling of post-consumer polyolefins

Waste from agricultural PE film, fertilizer bags, disused pipes for various purposes, waste from other sources, as well as mixed waste are subject to disposal and subsequent use. For this purpose, special extrusion plants are used for their processing. When polymer waste is received for processing, the melt flow rate must be at least 0.1 g/10 min.

Before processing begins, the waste is roughly separated, taking into account its distinctive features. After which the material is subjected to mechanical grinding, which can be either at normal (room) temperature or using a cryogenic method (in a coolant environment, for example, liquid nitrogen). The crushed waste is fed into a washing machine for washing, which is carried out in several stages with special washing mixtures. The mass pressed in a centrifuge with a moisture content of 10–15% is fed for final dehydration into a drying unit, to a residual moisture content of 0.2%, and then into an extruder. The polymer melt is fed by the extruder screw through the filter into the strand head. A cassette or rewind type filter purifies the polymer melt from various impurities. The purified melt is forced through the strand holes of the head, at the exit of which the strands are cut with knives into granules of a certain size, which then fall into the cooling chamber. After passing through a special installation, the granules are dehydrated, dried and packed into bags. If it is necessary to process thin films, an agglomerator is used instead of an extruder.

Waste drying is carried out using various methods, using shelf, belt, bucket, fluidized bed, vortex and other dryers, the productivity of which reaches 500 kg/h. Due to its low density, the film floats and dirt settles at the bottom.

Dehydration and drying of the film is carried out on a vibrating sieve and in a vortex separator, its residual moisture content is no more than 0.1%. For ease of transportation and subsequent processing into products, film granulation is performed. During the granulation process, the material is compacted, its further processing is facilitated, the characteristics of secondary raw materials are averaged, resulting in a material that can be processed using standard equipment.

For plasticization of crushed and purified polyolefin waste, single-screw extruders with a screw length of (25–33) are used. D, equipped with a continuous filter for purifying the melt and having a degassing zone, allowing to obtain granules without pores and inclusions. When processing contaminated and mixed waste, specially designed disk extruders with short multi-thread worms (3.5–5) long are used. D, having a cylindrical nozzle in the extrusion zone. The material melts in a short period of time, and rapid homogenization of the melt is ensured. By changing the gap between the cone nozzle and the casing, it is possible to regulate the shear force and friction force, thereby changing the mode of melting and homogenization of processing. The extruder is equipped with a degassing unit.

The production of granules is carried out mainly in two ways: granulation on the head and underwater granulation. The choice of granulation method depends on the properties of the thermoplastic being processed and, especially, on the viscosity of its melt and adhesion to the metal. During granulation on the head, the polymer melt is squeezed out through a hole in the form of strands, which are cut off by knives sliding along the spinneret plate. The resulting granules, 4–5 mm in size (in length and diameter), are thrown from the head into the cooling chamber with a knife, and then fed into the moisture extraction device.

When using equipment with a large unit capacity, underwater granulation is used. With this method, the polymer melt is extruded in the form of strands through the holes of the die plate on the head. After passing through a cooling bath with water, the strands enter the cutting device, where they are cut into granules by rotating cutters.

The temperature of the cooling water entering the bath along the countercurrent movement of the strands is maintained within 40–60 °C, and the amount of water is 20–40 m 3 per 1 ton of granulate.

Depending on the size of the extruder (screw diameter and length), productivity varies, depending on the rheological characteristics of the polymer. The number of outlet holes in the head can be in the range of 20–300.

Granulates are used to produce packaging for household chemicals, hangers, construction parts, pallets for transporting goods, exhaust pipes, lining of drainage channels, free-flow pipes for land reclamation and other products that are characterized by reduced durability compared to products made from primary polymer. Studies of the mechanism of destruction processes occurring during the operation and processing of polyolefins, their quantitative description allow us to conclude that the resulting products from recycled materials must have reproducible physical, mechanical and technological indicators.

More acceptable is the addition of secondary raw materials to the primary in an amount of 20–30%, as well as the introduction of plasticizers, stabilizers, and fillers into the polymer composition up to 40–50%. Chemical modification secondary polymers, as well as the creation of highly filled secondary polymer materials allows for even wider use of post-consumer polyolefins.

Modification of secondary polyolefins

Methods for modifying recycled polyolefin raw materials can be divided into chemical (cross-linking, introduction of various additives, mainly of organic origin, treatment with organosilicon liquids, etc.) and physical-mechanical (filling with mineral and organic fillers).

For example, the maximum content of the gel fraction (up to 80%) and the highest physical and mechanical properties of cross-linked HDPE are achieved by introducing 2–2.5% dicumyl peroxide on rollers at 130 °C for 10 minutes. The relative elongation at break of such a material is 210%, the melt flow rate is 0.1–0.3 g/10 min. The degree of cross-linking decreases with increasing temperature and increasing duration of rolling as a result of the competing process of destruction. This allows you to adjust the degree of crosslinking, physical, mechanical and technological characteristics of the modified material. A method for molding products from HDPE has been developed by introducing dicumyl peroxide directly during the processing process, and prototypes of pipes and injection molded products containing 70–80% of the gel fraction have been obtained.

The introduction of wax and elastoplast (up to 5 parts by weight) significantly improves the processability of VPE, increases the physical and mechanical properties (especially elongation at break and resistance to cracking - by 10% and from 1 to 320 hours, respectively) and reduces their scatter, which indicates an increase in the homogeneity of the material.

Modification of HDPE with maleic anhydride in a disk extruder also leads to an increase in its strength, heat resistance, adhesive ability and resistance to photoaging. In this case, the modifying effect is achieved with a lower concentration of the modifier and a shorter duration of the process than with the introduction of elastoplast. A promising way to improve the quality of polymer materials from secondary polyolefins is thermomechanical treatment with organosilicon compounds. This method makes it possible to obtain products from recycled materials with increased strength, elasticity and resistance to aging.

The modification mechanism consists in the formation of chemical bonds between the siloxane groups of the organosilicon liquid and the unsaturated bonds and oxygen-containing groups of secondary polyolefins.

Technological process obtaining a modified material includes the following stages: sorting, crushing and washing of waste; waste treatment with silicone liquid at 90±10 °C for 4–6 hours; drying of modified waste by centrifugation; re-granulation of modified waste.

In addition to the solid-phase modification method, a method for modifying VPE in solution has been proposed, which makes it possible to obtain HPPE powder with a particle size of no more than 20 μm. This powder can be used for processing into products by rotational molding and for coating by electrostatic spraying.

Filled polymer materials based on recycled polyethylene raw materials

The creation of filled polymer materials based on recycled polyethylene raw materials is of great scientific and practical interest. The use of polymer materials from recycled materials containing up to 30% filler will allow the release of up to 40% of primary raw materials and use it for the production of products that cannot be obtained from recycled materials (pressure pipes, packaging films, reusable transport containers, etc.).

To obtain filled polymer materials from recycled materials, you can use dispersed and reinforcing fillers of mineral and organic origin, as well as fillers that can be obtained from polymer waste (crushed thermoset waste and crumb rubber). Almost all thermoplastic waste can be filled, as well as mixed waste, which is preferable to use for this purpose from an economic point of view.

For example, the feasibility of using lignin is associated with the presence of phenolic compounds, contributing to the stabilization of EPE during operation; mica - with the production of products with low creep, increased heat and weather resistance, and also characterized by low wear of processing equipment and low cost. Kaolin, limestone, oil shale ash, coal spheres and iron are used as cheap inert fillers.

When finely dispersed phosphogypsum, granulated in polyethylene wax, is introduced into VPE, compositions with increased elongation at break are obtained. This effect can be explained by the plasticizing effect of polyethylene wax. Thus, the tensile strength of PE filled with phosphogypsum is 25% higher than that of PE, and the tensile modulus is 250% higher. The reinforcing effect when mica is introduced into EPE is associated with the peculiarities of the crystalline structure of the filler, a high characteristic ratio (the ratio of the diameter of the flake to the thickness), and the use of crushed, powdered EPE makes it possible to preserve the structure of the flakes with minimal destruction.

Among polyolefins, along with polyethylene, significant volumes are accounted for by the production of polypropylene (PP) products. The increased strength properties of PP in comparison with polyethylene and its resistance to the environment indicate the relevance of its recycling. Secondary PP contains a number of impurities, such as Ca, Fe, Ti, Zn, which contribute to the nucleation of crystal formation and the creation of a crystalline structure, which leads to an increase in the rigidity of the polymer and large values both the initial elastic modulus and the quasi-equilibrium modulus. To assess the mechanical performance of polymers, the method of relaxation stresses at different temperatures is used. Secondary PP under the same conditions (in the temperature range of 293–393 K) withstands much greater mechanical stresses without destruction than the primary one, which makes it possible to use it for the manufacture of rigid structures.

Recycling of used polystyrene

Used polystyrene plastics can be used in the following areas: recycling of technological waste of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic by injection molding, extrusion and pressing; recycling of worn-out products, waste polystyrene foam (EPS), mixed waste, disposal of heavily contaminated industrial waste.

Significant volumes of polystyrene (PS) are foamed materials and products made from them, the density of which is in the range of 15–50 kg/m3. These materials are used to make mold matrices for packaging, cable insulation, boxes for packing vegetables, fruits and fish, insulation of refrigerators, refrigerators, pallets for fast food restaurants, formwork, heat and sound insulating boards for insulating buildings and structures, etc. In addition, when transporting used such products, transportation costs are sharply reduced due to the low bulk density of foamed PS waste.

One of the main methods of recycling foamed polystyrene waste is the mechanical method of processing. Specially designed machines are used for agglomeration, and twin-screw extruders with degassing zones are used for extrusion.

The consumer point is the main location of equipment for mechanical recycling of waste products made from foamed polystyrene that have been used. Contaminated foamed PS waste is subject to inspection and sorting. In this case, contaminants in the form of paper, metal, other polymers and various inclusions are removed. The polymer is crushed, washed and dried. The centrifugation method is used to dehydrate the polymer. The final grinding is carried out in a drum, and from it the waste enters a special extruder, in which the polymer prepared for processing is compressed and melted at a temperature of about 205–210 °C. For additional purification of the polymer melt, a filter is installed, which operates on the principle of rewinding filter material or cassette type. The filtered polymer melt enters the degassing zone, where the screw has a deeper cut compared to the compression zone. Next, the polymer melt enters the strand head, the strands are cooled, dried and granulated. During the mechanical regeneration of waste PS, processes of destruction and structuring occur, so it is important that the material is subjected to minimal shear stress (a function of screw geometry, speed and melt viscosity) and a short time under thermomechanical load. Destructive processes are reduced by halogenation of the material, as well as by introducing various additives into the polymer.

Mechanical recycling of expanded polystyrene is regulated based on the application of the recycled polymer, for example, for insulation, cardboard, cladding, etc.

There is a method for depolymerizing polystyrene waste. To do this, waste PS or foamed PS is crushed, loaded into a sealed vessel, heated to the decomposition temperature, and the released secondary styrene is cooled in a refrigerator and the monomer thus obtained is collected in a sealed vessel. The method requires complete sealing of the process and significant energy consumption.

Recycling of used polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Recycling of recycled PVC involves the processing of used films, fittings, pipes, profiles (including window frames), containers, bottles, plates, rolled materials, cable insulation, etc.

Depending on the composition of the composition, which may consist of vinyl plastic or plastic compound and the purpose of recycled PVC, recycling methods may be different.

For recycling, waste PVC products are subjected to washing, drying, crushing and separation of various inclusions, incl. metals If products are made from compositions based on plasticized PVC, cryogenic grinding is most often used. If the products are made of rigid PVC, then mechanical crushing is used.

The pneumatic method is used to separate polymer from metal (wires, cables). The separated plasticized PVC can be processed by extrusion or injection molding. The magnetic separation method can be used to remove metal and mineral inclusions. Heating in water at 95–100 °C is used to separate aluminum foil from thermoplastic.

Separation of labels from unusable containers is carried out by immersing them in liquid nitrogen or oxygen at a temperature of about -50 ° C, which makes the labels or adhesive brittle and allows them to be easily crushed and separated from homogeneous material, such as paper. For processing waste artificial leather (IL), PVC-based linoleum, a method of dry preparation of plastic waste using a compactor is proposed. It includes a number of technological operations: grinding, separation of textile fibers, plasticization, homogenization, compaction and granulation, where additives can also be introduced.

Waste cable with PVC insulation enters the crusher and is conveyed by conveyor into the loading hopper of the cryogenic shaft, which is a sealed container with a special transport screw. Liquid nitrogen is supplied to the mine. The cooled crushed waste is discharged into a grinding machine, and from there it goes to a metal separation device, where the brittle polymer is deposited and passed through the electrostatic crown of the separator drum and the copper is recovered.

Significant volumes of used PVC bottles require different methods of disposal. The method of separating PVC from various impurities based on the density of the calcium nitrate solution in the bath deserves attention.

The mechanical process of recycling PVC bottles involves the main stages of the process of recycling waste from secondary thermoplastics, but in some cases it has its own distinctive features.

During the operation of various buildings and structures, significant volumes of metal-plastic window frames based on used PVC compositions are formed. Used PVC frames and frames received for recycling contain approximately 30% wt. PVC and 70% wt. glass, metal, wood and rubber. On average, a window frame contains about 18 kg of PVC. Incoming frames are loaded into a container 2.5 m wide and 6.0 m long. Then they are compressed on a horizontal press and turned into sections with an average length of 1.3–1.5 m, after which the material is further compacted using a roller and delivered to a shredder in which the rotor rotates at a controlled speed. A large mixture of PVC, metal, glass, rubber and wood is fed to a conveyor, and then to a magnetic separator, where the metal is separated, and then the material enters a rotating metal separation drum. This mixture is classified into particle sizes<4 мм, 4–15 мм, 15–45 мм, >45 mm.

Fractions (>45 mm) larger than normal size are returned for re-crushing. A fraction of 15–45 mm in size is sent to a metal separator, and then to a rubber separator, which is a rotating drum with rubber insulation.

After the metal and rubber are removed, this coarse fraction is sent back to be crushed to further reduce its size.

The resulting mixture of particles with a particle size of 4–15 mm, consisting of polyvinyl chloride, glass, fine residue and wood waste from the silo, is fed through a separator to a drum sieve. Here the material is again divided into two fractions of particle size: 4–8 and 8–15 mm.

For each particle size range, two separate processing lines are used for a total of four processing lines. The separation of wood and glass takes place in each of these processing lines. The wood is separated by using inclined vibrating air sieves. Wood, which is lighter relative to other materials, is transported downward by the air flow, and heavier particles (polyvinyl chloride, glass) are transported upward. Glass separation is carried out in a similar manner on subsequent screens, where lighter particles (ie PVC) are transported downwards, while heavier particles (ie glass) are transported upwards. After removing the wood and glass, the polyvinyl chloride fractions from all four processing lines are combined. Metal particles are detected and removed electronically.

Purified polyvinyl chloride enters the workshop, where it is moistened and granulated to a size of 3–6 mm, after which the granules are dried with hot air to a certain humidity. Polyvinyl chloride is divided into four fractions with particle sizes of 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm. Any oversized granules (i.e. >6mm) are returned to the site for re-grinding. Rubber particles are separated from polyvinyl chloride on vibrating sieves.

The final step is an optoelectronic color sorting process that separates the white PVC particles from the colored ones. This is done for fractions of each size. Since the amount of colored PVC is small compared to white PVC, the white PVC fractions are sorted by size and stored in separate bins while the colored PVC streams are mixed and stored in one bin.

The process has some special features that make the operations environmentally friendly. There is no air pollution because the shredding and air separation is equipped with a dust extraction system that collects dust, paper and foil in the air stream and feeds them into a microfilter trap. The grinder and drum screen are insulated to reduce noise generation.

During wet grinding and washing of polyvinyl chloride from contaminants, water is supplied for repeated cleaning.

Recycled polyvinyl chloride is used in the production of new co-extruded window profiles. To obtain high quality surface required for co-extruded window frames, the internal surface of the frames is made of recycled polyvinyl chloride and the external surface is made of virgin polyvinyl chloride. The new frames incorporate 80% recycled PVC by weight and have mechanical and performance properties comparable to frames made from 100% virgin PVC.

The main methods for processing PVC plastic waste include injection molding, extrusion, calendering, and pressing.

Advertisements for the purchase and sale of equipment can be viewed at

You can discuss the advantages of polymer brands and their properties at

Register your company in the Enterprise Directory

Removal, processing and disposal of waste from hazard classes 1 to 5

We work with all regions of Russia. Valid license. A complete set of closing documents. Individual approach to the client and flexible pricing policy.

Using this form, you can submit a request for services, request a commercial offer, or receive a free consultation from our specialists.

In Russia, the level of production and consumption of polymer materials is relatively low when compared with other developed countries of the world. Polymer processing is carried out on only 30% of the total volume of material. This is very little, considering the total volume of waste of this type.

A little about polymer products

Almost half of all polymers come from packaging containers. This use of polymer materials is determined not only by the aesthetic appearance of the product, but also by the safety of the product in the packaging. Polymer waste is generated in significant quantities - about 3.3 million tons. Every year this number increases by about 5%.

The main types of polymer waste are represented by the following materials:

• Polyethylene materials – 34%
• PET – 20%
• Laminated paper – 17%
• PVC – 14%. Polystyrene – 8%
• Polypropylene – 7%

Disposal of the bulk of plastic involves burial in the soil or incineration. However, such methods are unacceptable from an environmental point of view. When materials are buried, soil poisoning occurs due to the presence of harmful substances in the composition. Also, when burned, toxic substances are released into the atmosphere, which all living things subsequently breathe.

The processing of polymer materials using new technologies is developing poorly for the following reasons:

1. The state lacks the necessary regulatory and technical conditions and production facilities for the creation of high-quality secondary raw materials. For this reason, secondary polymer raw materials created from waste are characterized by low quality.
2. The resulting products have low competitiveness.
3. High cost of recycling plastics - a price assessment for this activity showed that approximately 8 times more processing costs are required than for household waste.
4. Low level of collection and processing of such material due to the lack of economic conditions and legislative support.
5. Lack of information base regarding the issue of recycling and separate waste collection. Few people are aware that polymer recycling is an excellent alternative to oil in production.

Classification

There are 3 main types of polymer waste:

1. Technological – include two groups: removable and irremovable. The first type is represented by defective products, which are subsequently immediately processed into another product. The second type represents all kinds of waste during the production of polymers; they are also eliminated through recycling and the manufacture of new products.
2. Public waste is all waste related to people's daily lives that is usually thrown away with food waste. Introducing the habit of collecting garbage in separate bags and throwing it away separately could greatly facilitate the solution to the recycling problem.
3. Industrial consumption waste - this type contains secondary polymers, suitable for recycling due to the low level of contamination. These include all packaging products, bags, tires, etc. - all of this is written off due to deformation or failure. They are readily accepted by processing enterprises.

Chain of extraction and processing of recyclable materials

Extraction and processing of polymer waste is carried out according to the specified technological chain:

1. Organization of points that accept secondary polymer raw materials. At these points, primary sorting and pressing of raw materials are performed.
2. Collection of material from landfills, legally or illegally, by companies involved in the processing of secondary raw materials.
3. The release of raw materials to the market after preliminary sorting at special waste processing stations.
4. Processing companies purchase material from large shopping malls. Such recyclables are less contaminated and subject to minor sorting.
5. Collection of recyclable materials thanks to the implementation of a program necessary for separate waste collection. The program is being implemented at a low level due to the lack of citizen activity. People without a fixed place of residence carry out acts of vandalism, which involve breaking containers intended for separate waste collection.
6. Pre-processing of polymer waste.

Polymer processing begins in the processing plant. It consists of a number of actions:

• Performing rough sorting for mixed waste.
• Further grinding of recyclable materials.
• Perform separation of mixed waste.
• Washing.
• Drying.
• Granulation process.

Not all residents Russian Federation aware of the benefits of recycling. Polymer materials will not only bring a small income if they are regularly handed over to recycling plants, but will also save the environment from hazardous substances released during the decomposition of polymer materials.

Equipment for processing polymer waste

The entire complex for processing the necessary raw materials includes:

1. Washing line.
2. Extruder.
3. Necessary conveyor belts.
4. Shredders – crush almost all types of polymer products and belong to the first stage.
5. Crusher - they are classified as the second stage of shredders and are used after using a shredder.
6. Mixers and dispensers.
7. Agglomerators.
8. Screen substitutes.
9. Granulation lines or granulators.
10. Post-processing machine for finished products.
11. Dryer.
12. Dosing device.
13. Refrigerators.
14. Press.
15. Sink.

Currently, the production of crushed polymer materials, so-called “flakes,” is especially important. For their production, a modern installation is used - a polymer crusher. Most entrepreneurs do not even think about purchasing processing equipment, considering this service to be expensive. However, in reality it pays for itself in about 2-3 years of use.

Recycling technology

The most common technology for processing polymer waste is extrusion. This method consists of continuously pressing molten raw materials through a special forming head. Using the output channel, the profile of the future product is determined.

Thanks to processing using this method, the following is obtained from recycled materials:

• Hoses.
• Pipes.
• Siding.
• Insulation for wires.
• Capillaries.
• Multi-layer moldings.

Through extrusion, polymer raw materials are recycled, as well as granulation. Polymer granulation makes it possible to effectively use secondary raw materials in various fields of human activity. Polymer waste contributes to the entry into the market of a large number of new products made through the recycling of recyclable materials. To carry out the extrusion process, special equipment is used - a screw extruder.

The technology for processing waste polymers is as follows:

• Melting of the polymer material in the extruder.
• Plasticization.
• Injection into the head.
• Exit through the forming head.

To process plastics in production, different types of extrusion equipment are used:

1. Screwless. The mass is pressed into the head using a specially shaped disk.
2. Disk. Used when it is necessary to achieve improved mixing of the constituent components of the mixture.
3. Combined extruders. The working device combines the screw and disk parts of the mechanism. Used to create products that require high precision geometric dimensions.

The use of waste polymer materials as secondary raw materials helps not only to reduce the volume of waste stored in landfills, but also to significantly reduce the amount of electricity consumed and petroleum products used to manufacture polymer products.

For effective solution On this issue, the authorities need to inform citizens about the benefits of separate waste collection and recycling of all types in order to further produce products necessary for various purposes, including household ones.

The 20th century is considered the century of steel and non-ferrous metals. Aluminum, copper, iron alloys could be found everywhere - in bed headboards, bridges, mechanisms of all types, and facing panels. However, as a result of mechanical processing, 50–80% of the melted material went into chips. Experts pinned great hopes on the chemical industry for reducing material consumption. And yet, despite the increase in the use of polymers, the results of industrial activity by the 80s were approximately the same: half of the resources were wasted.

It is obvious that the apparent availability of polymers is an illusion. The raw materials used for their production are a natural rarity. Access to its sources is a daily and constant reason and reason for trade, diplomatic and other wars. The geography of natural resource extraction is increasingly shifting to places that are not so remote. Therefore, today they are increasingly talking about the need to introduce resource-saving business models.

The uniqueness of modern technological methods chemical production lies not only in the ability to synthesize materials that successfully replace metal, paper or wood.

Most of today's industrial complexes in developed economies are capable of recycling obsolete polymer products into new ones that are in demand by the user.

Recycled plastics

The main classes of polymers include:

• polyethylenes,
• polypropylenes,
• polyvinyl chlorides,
• polystyrenes (including copolymers - ABS plastics),
• polyamides,
• polyethylene terephthalate.

Products with complex compositions are first separated. For physical cleaning, various mechanisms are used - vacuum, thermal, cryogenic.

The most common and economically feasible technologies are flotation and dissolution.

In the first case, the plastic is crushed and immersed in water. Compounds are also added there that affect the ability of various plastics to absorb moisture. After separation, separated polymers are obtained.

In the second method, complex pressed parts are crushed and successively exposed to various solvents. To restore the materials in their pure form, the resulting compounds are exposed to water vapor. The result of a precisely executed process is finished products high degree of purification. Further processing of various plastics may have its own characteristics associated with the individual properties of the polymers.

High and low pressure polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE).

A group of these compounds is also called polyolefins. They have found wide application in all types of industry, medicine, and the agricultural sector. PE are thermoplastics – materials suitable for remelting. This feature is successfully used by the industry, processing its own technological waste in order to reduce operating costs.

The difficulty of reusing used plastic is due to the partial destruction of its surfaces caused by sunlight. Products obtained through conventional processing of products: grinding, mechanical cleaning, remelting are not of high quality. Most often, such polyethylene is used for the manufacture of auxiliary household equipment.

Recycled polyethylene that has undergone chemical modification turns out to be more perfect. Various additives placed in the polymer melt bind the modified molecular units and align the structure of the substance. Dicumyl peroxide, wax, lignins, and shale are used as modifiers. Additives of certain types lead to changes in certain properties of secondary PE. Combining them allows you to obtain material with the necessary parameters.

Polypropylene (PP)

This material is rarely recycled. Most often, plastic has one life, despite its excellent consumer properties. characteristics that allow the polymer to be used in the food industry. Despite its good meltability, the high cost of maintaining hygiene discourages processors. However, in the United States, every fifth ton of PP is reused.

According to chemists, PP can withstand no more than four remeltings. With each heating, a certain number of deformed molecular units accumulate, affecting physical characteristics material. Secondary granules Easily processed in extruders and injection molding machines.

Recycled plastic does not require special modification. Its parameters are comparable to the original material, with only slightly reduced frost resistance. The polymer is again finding application in battery housings, garden tools, containers and films.

Polyvinyl chloride PVC

The material is used for the manufacture of linoleum and finishing films. Plastic is subject to thermal destruction. At temperatures above 100°, the oxidation of macromolecules begins to accelerate, leading to a deterioration in the thermoplastic properties of the material.

Extrusion technology using recycled PVC requires special preparation: the initial raw material mixture in the melt may be heterogeneous. Solid modifications of PVC containing recycled plastic will have uneven internal stress. In order to minimize negative impacts, dry processing of granules in compactors is carried out before extrusion. As a result of this operation, fibers are formed that reinforce the walls of new products.

More often, recycled polyvinyl chloride is used to produce plastisols and vinyl plastics. These materials are used to produce pastes, solutions, and injection molded products. Among new technologies, multilayer casting is gaining popularity. The peculiarity of the method is the production of a multicomponent sheet, each layer of which has different characteristics.

The outer surface of the composite is formed by a high-quality polymer, the inner layers are formed by recycled plastic.

Polystyrene (UPS, PSM) ABS plastic

Different kinds polystyrene is recycled in one mass - impact-resistant modifications, copolymers, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The versatility of PS products is often the reason why industrialists refuse to process it. The cost of cleaning, sorting, and modification is too high.

Prospects for plastic recycling.

In developed economies, the share of plastics processing reaches 26% of the amount produced – up to 90 million tons. At the same time, the volume The global market is $600 billion. The domestic segment of polymer recycling looks somewhat more modest: 5.5 million tons. According to experts, the Russian industry's demand for monomers and full-fledged modified thermoplastics significantly exceeds their supply. The presence of these two factors leads to an increase in national capacities intended for polymer processing. Moreover, the growth rate of industrial volumes in this area is ahead of European ones. Current market trends are taken into account in government forecasts. The priority of re-equipment of the processing industry is included in the twenty-year industry plan for the development of gas and petrochemicals.

The penetration of polymer materials into a wide variety of applications, including our daily lives, is now taken for granted throughout the world. And this despite the fact that their victorious march began relatively late - in the 1950s, when their production volumes were only about 1 million tons per year. However, with the growth of production and consumption of plastics, the problems of recycling used plastic products have gradually become more acute and have now become extremely urgent. This review discusses the experience of solving these problems in Europe, where Germany is leading in this regard.

Due to their many advantages (in particular, high strength, chemical resistance, the ability to be molded into any shape and any color, low density), they quickly penetrated into all areas of application, including construction, automotive, aerospace, packaging, household products, toys , medical and pharmaceutical products.

Already in 1989, polymer materials overtook such traditional materials as steel in terms of production volumes (we mean volumes, not weight). At that time, their annual production was about 100 million tons. In 2002, the production of polymer materials exceeded the level of 200 million tons, and now almost 300 million tons are produced annually throughout the world. If we consider the issue from a regional perspective, then Over the past decades, there has been a gradual shift in capacity for the production of polymer materials towards the East.

As a result, Asia has now become the most powerful region, where 44% of all world power is concentrated. Polyolefins, the most widely used group of plastics, account for 56% of total production; Polyvinyl chloride ranks second, followed by other traditional polymers such as polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Only 15% of all polymers produced are expensive materials technical purposes, used in special areas. According to forecasts of the European association of polymer producers PlasticsEurope (Brussels), the volume of production of polymeric materials per capita will continue to increase in the future at a rate of about 4% per year. Simultaneously with such success in the market, the volumes of used polymer materials and products increased. If in the period from the 1960s to the 1980s. Although the plastics industry may not have yet paid much attention to the issues of efficient recycling and reuse of used products, these issues later (especially after the German packaging regulation came into force in 1991) became an important topic. At that time, Germany took on the role of pioneer. It became the first country in which standards for the disposal and recycling of polymer waste were developed and implemented on the market. Currently, many other European countries have joined in solving this problem and have developed very successful concepts for the collection and recycling of polymers.

According to the PlasticsEurope association, in 2011, about 27 million tons of polymer materials were used in 27 EU countries, as well as Switzerland and Norway, of which 40% were for short-term use products and 60% for long-term use products. In the same year, about 25 million tons of used polymer materials were collected. Of these, 40% were landfilled, and 60% were sent for recycling. More than 60% of polymer waste came from waste packaging collection systems. In smaller quantities, post-consumer polymer products were sourced from the construction, automotive and electronics sectors.

Exemplary waste collection systems exist in nine European countries - Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Holland and Luxembourg (listed in descending order). The share of collected used polymer products in these countries ranges from 92 to 99%. In addition, six of these nine countries have the highest recycling rates in Europe: Norway, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Austria are far ahead of other countries in terms of this indicator (26% to 35% of waste collected). . The remaining amount of collected waste is subjected to energy recycling.

One cannot help but rejoice at the fact that over the past five years, not only the amount of waste collected, but also the share of waste recycled has significantly increased. Thanks to this, the volume of waste being disposed of has decreased. Despite this, the polymer materials recycling sector still has enormous potential for further development. To a large extent, this applies to countries with low levels of their recycling.

Experts critically consider the possibilities of energy recycling of polymer materials, namely their combustion, which many consider to be an appropriate way to recycle them. In Germany, 95% of all incinerators are waste recyclers and are therefore approved for energy recovery. Assessing this situation, Michael Scriba, commercial director of mtm plastics (Nidergebra), a company specializing in the processing of polymer materials, notes that from an environmental point of view, the energy recycling of waste is undoubtedly worse than the material one.

Within the plastics industry, recycling costs last years has become an important economic sector. Another important issue hindering the development of the recycling sector in Europe is the export of polymer waste, mainly to Far East. For this reason, there remains a relatively small amount of waste that can be reasonably recycled in Europe; This contributes to a significant increase in competition and higher costs.

Powerful industry supported by associations and companies

Since the 1990s. The intensification of plastic waste recycling in Germany was initiated by several companies and associations that devoted their activities to these problems and are currently actively working on a European scale.

First of all, we're talking about about the company Der Gruene Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD) (Cologne), which was founded in 1990 as the first dual system and today is the leader in offering waste collection systems. These include, along with household collection and recycling of commercial packaging, environmentally friendly and cost-effective recycling of plastic elements of electrical appliances and electronic equipment, as well as transport packaging, waste removal from enterprises and organizations, and cleaning of used containers.

In 1992, RIGK GmbH was founded in Wiesbaden as a certified specialist company for servicing companies (bottling, distribution, trading and importing) that own brands, takes back used packaging and freed from product residues from its German partners and sends these packaging for recycling.

An important player in the market is also the company BKV, which was founded in 1993 with the aim of ensuring guaranteed recycling of polymer packaging collected with dual systems. Currently, BKV serves as a kind of base platform for the recycling of polymer materials, dealing with the most significant and pressing problems in this area.

In 1993, another important association was founded - Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e. V. (bvse) (Bonn), whose origins are associated with the association Altpapierverband e. V. In the polymer materials sector, it provides German companies with professional and politically determined assistance in the collection and recycling of polymer waste. Along with the company BKV, which is part of the association GKV Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie e.V. (Bad Homburg), there are other associations and organizations involved in the recycling of polymer materials. These include, inter alia, tecpol Technologieentwicklungs GmbH, which specializes in environmentally efficient recycling of plastic waste, and the specialized compounding and recycling group at TecPart e. V., which is the base association of the GKV association. In 2002, leading German manufacturers of plastic profiles united into the initiative group Rewindo Fenster-RecyclingService GmbH (Bonn). The main goal was to increase the share of dismantled polymer windows, doors and roller shutters that can be recycled (see photo at the title of the article), which would contribute to increasing stability and responsibility in business activities.

It goes without saying that the large plastics recycling industry associations, which have their own working groups for plastics recycling and have successfully proven themselves in practice for decades, such as PlasticsEurope and IK Industrieverband Kunststoffverpackungen e, got involved in solving the problems. V. (Frankfurt).

Successful proven recycling technologies

Precise information on plastic recycling in Germany is provided by analysis results, which are published every two years on behalf of the VDMA member companies and associations - BKV, PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V., bvse, Fachverband Kunststoff und Gummimaschinen, as well as the union IK. According to these data, in Germany in 2011, about 5 million tons of plastic waste were generated, the largest part (82%) of which was consumer waste. Of the remaining 18%, which is industrial waste, the share of recyclable materials can be up to 90%. As has already been tested in practice, sorted industrial waste can be successfully subjected to in-plant recycling directly at the enterprises where it was generated (photo 1).

In the case of consumer waste, the share of material (that is, without incineration and landfill) recycling is only 30–35%. In this area, there are also already practical methods for recycling waste sorted by type. Examples include the experience of processing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and PET. As a result of its 10 years of activity, Rewindo, using its own technology for recycling used PVC windows and doors, has gained a strong position in the market.

In recent years, the volume of recycled PVC produced from collected used products by companies specializing in this field Toensmeier Kunststoffe GmbH & Co. KG (Hechter) and Veka Umwelttechnik GmbH (Herselberg-Hainich) was maintained at a level of about 22 thousand tons with an increasing trend.

PET bottles are also collected and recycled after proper sorting. The range of new products made from recycled materials ranges from fibers and films to new bottles. Various companies, such as the Austrian companies Erema GmbH (Ansfelden), Starlinger & Co. GmbH (Vienna) and NGR GmbH (Feldkirchen) have created special production lines for PET recycling. Recently, the European Safety Authority food products EFSA has published a positive opinion on the recoSTAR PET iV+ technology for the production of recycled PET suitable for food packaging (developed by Starlinger).

The EFSA opinion serves as the basis for certification of such technologies by the European Commission and member states of the European Union.

To achieve such a result, the interested company must prove that the technology and equipment it has developed for processing polymer waste reduces the degree of contamination of the corresponding PM to a level that is safe for human health.

The standard scenario of the so-called “challenge-test” for the efficiency of cleaning recycled PET, usually obtained from waste in the form of used bottles, involves the use of five control “pollutants” - toluene, chloroform, phenylcyclohexane, benzophenone and lindane, differing in chemical composition , molecular weight and, therefore, migration ability. The tests themselves are carried out in several stages.

First, the recycled PET flakes are washed, after which they are “contaminated” with a control substance with a given concentration (3 ppm) and washed again. Then these re-washed PET flakes are processed using the tested technology into PET regranulate and the residual concentration of the “polluting” medium is determined, from which the degree of purification of recycled PET is calculated. In conclusion, both indicators are compared with the maximum permissible values ​​for them and conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness of cleaning.

In addition to the standard tests, Starlinger independently decided to tighten up the test scenario by conducting them under so-called “worst-case” conditions for the material (Worst-Case-Szenario), in which PET flakes were processed that were not washed after they were contaminated with model environments. Previously, before each type of test - to ensure the purity of the experiment and stable conditions for its conduct - 80-100 kg of transparent virgin PET were processed on the recoSTAR PET 165 iV+ installation (photo 2) in order to clean the working parts of the installation from the remnants of the previous batch of material. The tested PET flakes were colored blue; therefore, the output from the same installation of PET regranulate is only of blue color testified that during the processing process there was no mixing of it with pure PET and the FIFO (first-in, first-out) principle was maintained. Test results using a standard scenario showed that the recoSTAR PET iV process cleans rPET so effectively that it is well above the EFSA threshold (see table). Even in the case of lindane (a non-volatile non-polar substance), the purification rate was more than 99.9%, although the threshold value is 89.67%. Almost the same results were shown by tests conducted according to the “tightened” scenario, with the exception of benzophenone and lindane. But even in these cases, the degree of PET purification met EFSA requirements. The abbreviated name of the company NGR stands for quite ambitiously - as “Next Generation Recycling Maschinen”. And having become 100% owner of BRITAS Recycling Anlagen GmbH (Hanau, Germany) in May of this year, NGR has significantly strengthened its position in the European and other regional markets of the world. The fact is that BRITAS is known as a developer and manufacturer of filter systems for melts of heavily contaminated polymer materials, including consumer packaging waste (photo 3).

In turn, NGR develops and produces equipment for the recycling of both industrial and consumer polymer waste, having an extensive market for its products.

Both engineering companies are confident in the positive synergistic effect of the merger. Gneuss Kunststofftechnik GmbH (Bad Oeynhausen) has reached the market great success thanks to its MRS extruder (photo 4), the use of which is even approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) - the US Department of Commerce for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. In addition, machine manufacturers offer various drying systems, such as the infrared rotary tube from Kreyenborg Plant Technology GmbH (Senden), as well as special filtration systems for PET recycling or crystallization technologies, such as the Crystall-Cut process from Automatik Plastics Machinery (Senden). Grosstheim). Closed loop systems such as the PETcycle system have been successfully used to make new bottles from used bottles.

Summarizing all of the above, it can be stated that the PET recycling system with an annual volume of about 1 million tons is successfully implemented in Europe. A similar situation is observed in the field of processing sorted polyolefin waste, the sorting of which is carried out without any special complications using appropriate separation technologies. In Germany alone, there are ten large and many small preparation plants specializing in the production of recycled granulate suitable for injection molding from household and industrial polyolefin waste. This granulate can be further used for the production of pallets, bathtubs, buckets, pipes and other types of products (photo 5).

Recycling Challenges

Additional challenges for recycling come from polymer products made from several different materials that cannot be separated from each other at a reasonable cost, as well as polymer packaging that cannot be completely emptied. Waste in the form of used consumer film is also problematic for recycling due to significant surface contamination, which requires significant processing costs.

According to Scribe, although there are experienced recycling experts in this area, there are no real markets of European importance. Additional complications also arise when handling the wide variety of PET bottles produced that are not intended for beverages; this significantly limits the volume of their recycling. To date, waste from the automotive and electronics industries has been difficult to recycle.

In such problematic cases, processors and machine builders require special technical solutions (photo 6). In particular, one such solution regarding the recycling of consumer film waste supplied by DSD was recently provided by Herbold Meckesheim GmbH to the waste management company WRZ-Hoerger GmbH & Co. KG (Sontheim). The turnkey production plant, consisting of a system for separating foreign substances, a wet grinding stage and a compaction device, makes it possible to process 7 thousand tons of waste annually into a bulk agglomerate with a high bulk density, suitable for the manufacture of products using injection molding technology (photo 7 ).

In general, the supply program of the Herbold Meckesheim company, which is also known on the Russian market, includes a variety of equipment for processing both heavily contaminated and mixed waste, both solid and hard-to-recycle soft plastic waste - washing plants and dryers, shredders, agglomerators, mills for fine grinding.

The main stated priorities in the development of equipment are its compactness, increased productivity and energy efficiency. At the K-2013 exhibition, the company will demonstrate a number of new products, including:

New mechanical dryer model HVT with a vertical rotor, saving production space, easy to maintain and consuming significantly less energy when drying PET flakes (photo 8);
shredder model SML SB with forced screw feed of waste into the cutting unit, which makes it possible to compact the supplied material and thereby increase processing productivity (Fig. 1);
large size grinding machine solid waste in the form, for example, of slabs or pipes, which are considered the most difficult object to process. Especially for the processing of mixed fractions, Erema together with Coperion GmbH & Co. KG (Stuttgart) has developed a combined Corema plant for waste recycling and compounding (photo 9). Characteristic feature of this plant is its suitability for processing a wide range of materials. According to commercial director Erema company Manfred Hackl), we are talking here about an optimal solution for the processing of economically generated mixed waste, in particular for the production of a compound containing 20% ​​talc from waste polypropylene non-woven materials, or for the processing of waste in the form of a mixture of PE and PET with additives. Another successful example of several partners joining forces to solve recycling problems is the production line for the recycling of used agricultural films, the recycling of which is difficult and expensive due to their thinness, softness and contamination. The problem was solved by combining in one line a specially optimized grinder model Power Universo 2800 (manufactured by Lindner reSource) and an extrusion plant for recycling polymer materials model 1716 TVEplus manufactured by Erema), which made it possible to obtain high-quality regranulate.

Equipment that is universal in terms of the form of waste processed into regranulate (films, fibers, flakes of PET bottles, waste of foamed polymer materials) is offered by the Austrian company ARTEC Machinery. The impetus for further development and expansion of production capabilities was its 100% entry in 2010 into the “family” group GAW Technology, of which ECON is also a member, complementing the supply program with appropriate extrusion lines for processing crushed waste into regranulate. Due to the design and technological modernization of manufactured equipment over the years, it was possible to increase its productivity by an average of 25%. The modular principle that ARTEC professes when designing its installations allows, as if from cubes, to assemble and install equipment for a specific application, which is currently produced with a capacity of 150 to 1600 kg per hour (Fig. 2).

A specific extrusion plant with an MRS type extruder (see photo 4), designed for processing crushed waste from PA11 polyamide, was also supplied by Gneuss to the British company K2 Polymer.

The source material is obtained by crushing deep-sea oil pipelines, which become unnecessary after the source of oil dries up and must be recovered on land.

The MRS (Multi Rotation System) extruder allows, without the use of chemical cleaning, to provide one-stage purification and processing of these high-quality, but highly contaminated polymer wastes due to many years of contact with oil. This list could be supplemented with many other examples. In conclusion, the recycling sector has become an important area of ​​economic activity in recent years. Although many technologies have already been successfully tested in practice, there remains great potential for further development in the field of recycling. Solving existing problems must begin with the development and production of polymer products that are as recyclable as possible.

Certain opportunities for progress also remain in the development of optimized technological solutions and the creation of appropriate equipment for the processing of complex waste.

To a certain extent, progress in this area can also be facilitated by policy measures that should ensure the wider implementation of optimal waste collection and recycling concepts in each country.

New and proven solutions in the field of recycling of polymer materials will be widely presented from October 16 to 23, 2013 at the International Exhibition “K” in Dusseldorf.

Prepared by Ph.D. V. N. Mymrin
using press materials from the exhibition company Messe Duesseldorf
Recycling of Plastics in Europe:
New and Proven Solutions The penetration of plastics in a v ariety of
applications, including our daily lives, are now seen worldwide as a matter of course. And this
despite the fact that their winning streak started relatively late – 60 years ago, when their output
accounted for only about 1 million tons per year.

However, with the growth of production and consumption of plastics gradually sharpened
and has now become a critical problem disposing of used plastic products. Although many
processes hav e alr eady become established, recycling still has plenty of potential for
improvement. A first step could be the recyclable design of plastics items that should be examined
closely with a view to later r covery. Suitable recycling processes and machine solutions for the
processing of problematical wastes offer a good deal of scope for further dev elopment. This
review discusses the experience of solving these problems in Europe, wher e the leading in this
respect is Germany.

Thermoplastics are plastics that, once molded into a product, remain recyclable. They can repeatedly soften when heated and harden when cooled without losing their properties. This is precisely why there is great interest in the recycling of thermoplastic waste, both domestic and industrial.

The composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the capital differs markedly from the Russian average. Every year about 110 thousand tons of solid household waste are generated in Moscow. Of these, 8-10% are polymer, and in commercial waste from large enterprises this figure reaches 25%.

Plastic bottles should be highlighted separately in the structure of solid waste. Every year in Moscow alone, about 50 thousand tons of them are thrown away. According to the results of the International scientific-practical conference“Packaging and the Environment”, 30% of all polymer waste consists of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride bottles. However, at present, according to the State Unitary Enterprise Promotkhody, in Moscow and the region no more than 9 thousand tons of polymer waste separated from solid waste are processed annually. And half of them are in the Moscow region. What are the reasons for such little recycling of thermoplastic waste?

Organizing the collection

Today, several channels for collecting plastic waste are used.

The first and main one is the collection and removal of waste from large shopping complexes. These raw materials are predominantly used packaging and are considered the “cleanest” and best suited for further use.

The second way is selective garbage collection. In the southwest of Moscow, the city administration, together with the State Unitary Enterprise Promotkhody, is conducting such an experiment. Special German Euro containers have been installed in the courtyards of several residential buildings. Container lids with holes: round - for PET bottles, large slot - for paper. Containers are locked and constantly monitored. In two years, 12 tons of plastic bottles were collected. Today the project includes only 19 residential buildings. According to experts, when covering a territory with more than 1 million inhabitants, the benefits of such a system become obvious.

The third option is the sorting of solid waste at specialized enterprises (experimental industrial waste sorting center "Kotlyakovo", private enterprise MSK-1, other waste sorting complexes). It is still quite difficult to accurately determine the volume of sorted waste, but the share of this source of secondary raw materials is already noticeable. Some commercial organizations, under the control of municipal authorities, organize their own collection points for secondary raw materials (including polymer waste) from the population. Primary sorting and pressing usually take place there. However, there are very few such points in the city.

A significant share of secondary raw materials used for processing is collected illegally at landfills. This is done by private companies, and sometimes by the management of the landfills themselves. Collected and sorted materials are sold to resellers or directly to manufacturers.

When processing thermoplastics, the uniformity of the polymers used, the degree of contamination, color and type (film, bottles, scrap), and the form of the supplied waste (compressed, packaging, etc.) are very important. Depending on these and a number of other parameters, the degree of suitability of a particular batch for further processing (and, consequently, its market value) may vary significantly. Waste paper is the most expensive.

Sorting, crushing and compaction can be carried out by numerous intermediaries, waste sorting complexes, processors themselves, and structures of the State Unitary Enterprise "Industrial Waste".

In most cases, manual sorting is used, since the appropriate equipment is expensive and not always effective.

Polymer processing

Collected and sorted waste can be processed into secondary granulate or directly used for the production of new products (shopping bags and packages, disposable tableware, cases for video cassettes, country furniture, polymer pipes, wood-polymer boards, etc.).

Only NII PM OJSC is engaged in the processing of polymer household waste on an industrial scale in Moscow (production of products for the needs of the municipal economy as part of the program for separate waste collection in the South-Western Autonomous District and by order of the capital's mayor's office). State Unitary Enterprise "Promotkhody" carries out crushing, washing and drying, then the flakes at a price of $400 per ton are transported for further processing to the Research Institute of PM.

Other processors of secondary raw materials are either too small (capacity up to 20 tons per month), or under the guise of processing they are engaged in crushing and further resale; at best, they add crushed raw materials to their products. Almost no one is engaged in large-scale production of secondary granulate and agglomerate in Moscow.

According to other information (N.M. Chalaya, NPO "Plastik"), many small companies are engaged in processing polymers contained in Moscow waste, for which this activity is not their main activity. They try not to advertise it, since it is generally accepted that the use of recyclable materials in the production of products worsens its quality.

A typical company for this market is the Vtorpolymer production cooperative, which works directly with the city landfill. The homeless people who live at the landfill collect everything plastic there: bottles, toys, broken buckets, film, etc. For a certain fee, the “product” is handed over to intermediaries, and they deliver it to Vtorpolymer. Here, worn-out items are washed and sent for recycling. They are sorted by color, crushed and added to plastic, which is used to make installation pipes (they are used in the construction of new houses to insulate electrical wiring). The purchase price of dirty plastic scrap is 1 thousand rubles. per ton, clean - 1.5 thousand. Smaller lots are accepted at prices of 1 and 1.5 rubles. per-kg respectively.

Sorting of polymer waste is carried out manually. The main selection criterion is appearance products or corresponding markings. Without markings, packaging made of polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene cannot be visually distinguished. Bottles are most often considered PET, film - polyethylene (the specific type of PE is usually not determined), although it may well turn out to be PP or PVC. Linoleum is mainly PVC, foamed polystyrene (foam) is easily identified visually, nylon fibers and technical products (spools, bushings) are usually made of polyamide. The probability of matches with this sorting is about 80%.

An analysis of the activities of companies operating in the secondary materials market allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1) prices of recycled materials on the market are determined by the degree of their preparation for processing. If we take the cost of primary low-density polyethylene granulate as 100%, then the price of pure crushed polyethylene film prepared for processing ranges from 8 to 13% of the cost of the primary polymer. The price of polyethylene agglomerate is from 20 to 30% of the cost of the primary polymer;

2) the price of most granular secondary polymers, averaged by composition, ranges from 45 to 70% of the price of primary polymers;

3) the price of secondary polymers strongly depends on their color, that is, on the quality of preliminary sorting of polymer waste by color. The difference in the price of secondary polymers of pure and mixed colors can reach 10-20%;

4) prices for products made from primary and secondary polymers are, as a rule, almost the same, which makes the use of secondary polymers in production extremely profitable.

On average, the price of polymer waste separated from solid waste, depending on the degree of preparedness, batch and type, ranges from 1 to 8 rubles/kg. Purchase prices from processors depending on the batch and level of contamination are shown in Table 1.

The price of clean MSW waste is usually equal to the price of industrial and commercial waste.

The market price for the purchase by a processor of polymer waste from solid waste consists of the price of purchase by an intermediary from the population (approximately 25% of the cost), fees for the formation of large-scale batches of waste, sorting, pressing and even washing for the most expensive (clean) raw materials.

Prices for products such as agglomerate and granulate average 12-24 rubles/kg (polyamide is more expensive than others - 35-50 rubles/kg, PET - from 20 rubles/kg). Further processing increases the added value depending on the type of product by 30-200 %.

Investment attractiveness

According to most experts, investing in the processing of polymer waste is profitable, but only if supported by government support and a legislative framework focused on the interests of recyclers of secondary raw materials.

Today, the Moscow market consists of 20-30 small companies engaged in processing polymer waste, mainly of industrial origin. The market as a whole is characterized by informal connections between processors and suppliers, a large share of companies for which this business is a side business, as well as low processing volumes (12-17 thousand tons per year). It can be assumed that if there is a stable demand for such waste from processors, the supply volumes will increase.

It should be noted that the amount of polymer waste that is actually recycled today constitutes a very small part of urban solid waste. And this despite the fact that the demand for polymers and products made from them is constantly increasing, and the problem of waste disposal is increasingly worrying city authorities.

A limiting factor in the construction of new processing plants is the underdevelopment of the waste collection system and the lack of serious suppliers. The coincidence of interests of private business and the state in this area should inevitably lead to the adoption of laws that meet the interests of recyclers.

Present and future

1. The annual volume of PET processing in the capital is 4-5 thousand tons per year. The plans of the Moscow authorities include organizing a system for the selective collection of PET containers by 2003 and creating two production complexes for its processing with a capacity of 3 thousand tons per year. Currently, the construction of two private PET processing plants with a total capacity of six thousand tons annually is being completed.

In the coming months, the Moscow government should adopt regulations regulating the activities of polymer processors (their exact content is not yet known). Existing and under construction capacities are sufficient to meet market needs. The possibility of state support for the projects of the State Unitary Enterprise "Promotkhody" and the company "Inteko" (potential processing capacity - 7-8 thousand tons per year) is being considered.

2. The volume of PP recycling in Moscow is 4-5 thousand tons per year, although about 50-60 thousand tons are thrown away annually in the city - mainly film and big bags. After processing, PP in the form of granules is added to primary raw materials or is entirely used for the production of plastic dishes, shopping bags, etc.).

The absence of large-scale projects for the recycling of this polymer (as is the case with PET) opens up wide opportunities for investment. The most profitable at this stage is the processing of recyclable materials into granulate, since in the field of production of consumer goods the competition is much tougher.

3. The volume of PE processing is also 4-5 thousand tons per year. The main type of raw material is film, including agricultural film. In total, about 60-70 thousand tons of polyethylene waste are thrown out in the city every year. As a rule, enterprises processing PE also deal with PP. One of the large companies through which about 2.5 thousand tons per year passes is Plastpoliten.

PE is characterized by high resistance to pollution. However, the existing ban on the use of recycled polymer raw materials in the manufacture of food packaging limits the possibility of sales.

Thus, the most rational option today seems to be the construction of an industrial complex for processing waste polyethylene, polypropylene and PET into granulate.

This production must include:

a) sorting (requires special training of personnel to reduce the proportion of another type of polymer, which is very important for the quality of the product);

b) washing (the largest potential volumes of raw materials are usually not sorted and washed);

c) drying, crushing, agglomeration.

It is economically most profitable to locate this complex in the near Moscow region, since prices for electricity, water, rent of land and industrial space there are significantly lower than in the capital (see Table 2).

For such production to operate effectively, government support is required. It may make sense to partially revise the existing sanitary standards for the processing of solid waste, as well as oblige manufacturers of polymer products to make contributions for the processing of polymer waste. In addition, comprehensive measures should be taken at the level of the Moscow government and individual housing and communal services aimed at developing a selective collection system and creating a network of collection points for recyclable materials.

The state's increased interest in waste disposal is already reflected in the budget: from 2002 to 2010. It is planned to spend 519.2 million rubles for these purposes. from the federal budget. The budgets of the federal subjects are expected to be allocated until 2010. 11.4 billion rubles. for the implementation of the “Diversions” program.

In 2001, Moscow spent 3.1 billion rubles on environmental protection. To date, the cost of already implemented projects for processing household waste is 115.5 million rubles.

Andrey Golinei,