COLOWE 65D Co Rotating Twin-screw Extruder: PC Recycling Granulation Is Approaching New Materials, High Cost-effectiveness Recycling Granulation Opens Up The Global Market
1, The trend of recycling: Why is PC recycling and granulation related to the next decade?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme's "2022 Global Plastic Waste Management Report," approximately 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated worldwide each year. PC (polycarbonate), as a high value-added engineering plastic, is widely used in fields such as automobiles, electronics, CDs, and water buckets due to its excellent transparency and impact resistance. However, the high viscosity, thermal sensitivity, and easy hydrolysis characteristics of PC make its recycling and granulation a recognized difficulty in the industry. The PC return particles produced by traditional equipment often have many black spots and a sudden drop in viscosity, and can only be downgraded for use.
At the same time, global policies have entered the fast lane. The White Paper of the European Plastic Recycling Association (PRE) states that by 2030, the European Union will mandate a 30% recycled plastic content in packaging, and mandatory ratios are also being established in the automotive and electronics sectors. This has prompted international customers who pursue environmental protection and hope to enter the new material market with high cost-effectiveness to start looking for reliable recycling and granulation solutions for co rotating twin-screw extruders. It is in this context that two 65D co rotating twin-screw extruders from COLOWE have successfully delivered PC recycling granulation, opening the door to high-end recycling granulation for customers.
2, Hardware decoding: How does the 65D co rotating twin-screw extruder achieve "new material like" PC recycling granulation?
The core of this case is the COLOWE 65D high torque co rotating twin-screw extruder. The design with a length to diameter ratio of 65D provides sufficient process time for PC recycling granulation - the 14 section cylinder can accurately layout functional areas such as exhaust, vacuum, and side feeding, effectively removing trace moisture and residual additives from the PC melt, which is the key to ensuring the transparency and mechanical properties of PC return particles. The screw combination adopts a specific configuration of "high dispersion+low shear", combined with wear-resistant cylinder and alloy screw components derived from European technology. Under a processing window of 350 ℃, it not only achieves efficient melting and mixing of PC bottle and disc waste, but also avoids molecular chain breakage caused by excessive shear.
More importantly, this is a cost-effective extruder system: weight loss feeding with precise control of return ratio, dual vacuum chambers connected in series for deep devolatilization, hydraulic plate screen changer for online filtering of impurities, and finally underwater particle cutting to obtain PC return particles with uniform particle size. The customer has built a high-quality PC recycling and granulation production line with an annual output of tens of thousands of tons using only two of these co rotating twin-screw extruders. The investment threshold is significantly lower than that of a newly built polymerization unit, but the product can replace some new materials.
3, Empirical data: New value of recycling and granulation created by two lines
The operational data after delivery has inspired customers who are trying to recycle pellets for the first time:
·Capacity and energy consumption: The single line 65D co rotating twin-screw extruder has a stable capacity of 580-620kg/h, with a power consumption of only 0.23kWh per ton, saving about 15% energy compared to similar recycling and granulation schemes.
·Particle quality: The black spots of PC return particles are controlled to be ≤ 3/200g, the melt index (300 ℃/1.2kg) fluctuates less than 1.5g/10min, and the tensile strength retention rate is as high as 96%, meeting the requirements of high-end electronic and electrical injection molding.
·Continuous production stability: After 72 hours of uninterrupted operation testing, the torque is stable, and there is no material leakage from the exhaust port. The customer directly signs the intention to increase the purchase in the future.
It is precisely these data that enabled this international customer to harvest high value-added products from their first foray into recycling and granulation, and quickly open up the European and American markets.
4, Key question, quick question, quick answer: Why is COLOWE the first step in cost-effective recycling and granulation?
Q1: Why did we choose the COLOWE 65D co rotating twin-screw extruder instead of others when we were trying PC recycling granulation for the first time?
A: COLOWE has been deeply involved in the field of co rotating twin-screw extruders for more than ten years. The 65D model is a cost-effective extruder optimized for high demand recycling and granulation. We provide you with a turnkey project from cleaning, sorting to extrusion granulation. Even with zero experience, we can quickly and stably produce PC particles that are close to new materials, avoiding detours.
Q2: How can the COLOWE recycling granulation equipment ensure particle performance and make us dare to replace new materials?
A: The secret lies in the combination of low shear screws and efficient volatilization design. During the recycling and granulation process of the co rotating twin-screw extruder, the integrity of the PC molecular chain can be maximally preserved, and impurities can be deeply removed, making the transparency and impact resistance of the PC return particles sufficient to replace some new materials, helping you reduce raw material costs by more than 30%.
Q3: Does a cost-effective extruder mean sacrificing long-term durability?
A: On the contrary. The high cost-effectiveness of COLOWE is reflected in its full lifecycle cost. The cylinder adopts an integral bimetallic liner, and the screw components are made of powder metallurgy steel imported from Europe, with outstanding wear and corrosion resistance. In PC recycling granulation and other abrasive conditions, the service life can be as long as 5-8 years. With remote operation and maintenance services, the comprehensive investment return period is only about 12 months.
5, The choice of environmentally friendly long-distance runners: opening up the new material market with cost-effective recycling and granulation
When the global plastic circular economy moves from initiatives to regulations, and PC recycling granulation becomes a mandatory procurement indicator for multinational brands, choosing a stable and efficient co rotating twin-screw extruder is no longer a cost issue, but a strategic entry ticket. Nanjing Kelongwell Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd. showcased to international customers the successful case of PC recycling and granulation using two 65D twin-screw extruders in the same direction. By using cost-effective extruders for high-quality recycling and granulation, the company can not only reduce the burden on the earth, but also win the trust of the new material market and receive real returns. This "new material" recycling and granulation path is waiting for more visionary individuals to explore together.
