A plastic bottle recycling plant means stable income and investment in the environment. How to independently open a business for recycling plastic bottles How to organize work at the acceptance of plastic canisters

Recycling plastic bottles is a fairly pressing task today, and business in this area can be called very promising. This is due to the distribution and widespread use of such packaging in all industries National economy. That's why it's worth appreciating technological process processing, the cost of equipment used for this, as well as markets for the resulting raw materials.

Relevance of the problem

Statistics show that every year a person throws away about 300 kilograms of various garbage, a third of which is plastic bottles. Already used containers are no less valuable than glass bottles or waste paper. In the process of processing such waste, a material is obtained from which flex is made in the form of plastic flakes. And it, in turn, is suitable for the subsequent manufacture of containers.

It turns out that recycling a plastic bottle is waste-free production, because plastic makes flex, and vice versa. In addition, this idea is completely justified from an environmental point of view, since it takes 300 years, no less, for the polymer to completely decompose.

Modern tendencies

Recycling plastic bottles as a business, this is a great idea, since thanks to this you can get quite a good profit, but only if you draw up a business plan correctly, as well as if you have the required amount of money for this. Organizing such an enterprise is quite expensive. The main points here concern the search for suitable premises, arranging the supply of raw materials, as well as the search for sales markets. This business is not just profitable, but also quite useful. In addition, recycling of plastic bottles is not yet very developed in the CIS countries, so you will not have much competition.

Main technological stages

You can consider the recycling process that occurs at such an enterprise.

At the first stage, bottles are collected and sorted. There are no difficulties here, and this process will be discussed in more detail later. Only one thing is worth noting: at this stage, an uninterrupted supply of raw materials with its further sorting should be established.

Grinding

The second stage is crushing. Here you will already need certain equipment for recycling plastic bottles, namely - special installation for crushing. Sorted raw materials are placed in it, which is crushed to produce flakes of 0.8-1.2 cm in size, it all depends on which grid is used in the installation. This is the same flex. Next, this crushed mass is thoroughly washed using caustic soda. The plastic bottle recycling line sends it all into a centrifuge, where pieces of paper labels are separated from the bulk. The flotation process allows you to remove rings and caps, as well as labels made of polypropylene. Flex is washed again, this time used pure water, after which it is placed in a tube dryer, where a stream of hot air ensures drying. At the end, the plastic bottle recycling machine unloads and packages the flex. In this form, the material is already suitable for sale. But you can use a slightly different technology.

Agglomeration and granulation

The third stage is agglomeration. Sometimes this technology for recycling plastic bottles is used. This is a simple procedure. The crushed mass is exposed to high temperatures, as a result of which it sinteres and turns into small lumps. These lumps can be sold as ready-made raw materials, or they can be granulated, due to which they are “improved.”

The fourth stage is granulation. You can already see how versatile plastic bottle recycling can be. The technology in this case involves subsequent processing of raw materials. This significantly improves its quality and purity, which makes it possible to increase the cost of the product. Granulation is often called briquetting; the essence of this process is to turn the crushed mass into pieces correct form, that is, peculiar granules having the same size and weight. This is done like this: the particles are compacted under slight pressure, since there may be voids between them. After this, the particles themselves are deformed, due to which they adhere at the molecular level. The final stage involves increasing pressure to transform the elastic modification into a plastic one. The result of this is the production of durable granules of the same shape.

Even taking into account the fact that equipment for these purposes is quite expensive, it is quite possible to open such a business. The processing line alone costs around 130 thousand dollars. But this is the price to pay for how beneficial recycling plastic bottles is. A business plan for such a plant should be drawn up on the basis of a specific project in order to demonstrate it to potential investors.

First of all, you need to register a company. It is worth noting that this type of activity will be recognized as trade in small products, so it can be started even before the opening of an individual entrepreneur. Next, you need to take care of a suitable premises, purchase or rent equipment for processing plastic bottles. But it’s worth considering everything in order. First, you will need to obtain a license for this type of activity, and also coordinate everything with the SES and the fire organization. Obtaining all the documents required for this costs about 200 rubles.

Business premises

When with " paperwork"The issues will be resolved, you can begin to search for premises where the line for the production of plastic bottles will be located. This requires an area of ​​at least 3000 square meters, it is best if it is located outside the city. An abandoned factory or warehouse is suitable for these purposes; it is important that all communications necessary for work are connected to it. The premises will need to be divided into three parts (this must be taken into account when drawing up a business plan): for raw materials, for finished products, for production.

Business staffing

So, have you decided to open a plastic bottle recycling plant? In this case, you need to have a rough idea of ​​the prices and equipment that will be required for these purposes. The minimum amount you should expect is 4 million rubles plus another 400 thousand for installation. For a production shop there are several elements that are mandatory. Equipment for recycling plastic bottles must include:

Agglomerator (≈ 222 thousand);

Granulation line (≈ 1-2 million);

Rotary chopper (≈1.5 million).

It is important to understand that the specified set is the minimum required to set up a line that will process plastic bottles. The following is a list of components for the finished line:

Bath in which the flex will be soaked;

A dynamic centrifuge designed for harsh cleaning of plastic from residual dirt, labels, and other debris;

A hot bath of water heated to 60 degrees, with the addition of sodium phosphate, is used for maximum effective cleaning of the flex;

A dispenser that supplies flakes in equal portions into pipes with heated air;

A friction auger, which is designed to accumulate flex and transport it to the soaking bath. It includes an inclined auger, a flushing system and a storage hopper;

Rinse bath, which is designed to wash away any remaining detergent from the flakes.

Purchasing options

Of course, it is quite possible to acquire domestic technology, which will be much cheaper, but in this case there is a high probability of frequent breakdowns or that the equipment’s power will not be enough. Although the cost of this equipment will be approximately 1 million rubles. You can also choose the option of purchasing used machines, then you can save about half the amount.

Among the manufacturers of equipment for recycling plastics, the leading positions belong to Herbold, Shredder, Sorema, RIKO RT, Redoma and others. Most of the equipment used today is manufactured in China. If we talk about domestic manufacturers, the quality of their products is much inferior even to Chinese ones. One exception is the Machinery and Technologies company.

Raw materials

The easiest production stage in this case is organizing the supply of raw materials. We are talking about plastic bottles, of which you can find a lot in every city. Extraction of raw materials can be done in one of several ways:

You can install special ones around the city garbage containers, intended for sorting. Instead of one old one, you can install several new ones. They need to be labeled accordingly so that people who dispose of waste sort it immediately. At the same time, you can count on the support of the city authorities, as they are always happy to have new garbage cans.

You can send people directly to the solid waste landfill, where they will sort the waste right on the spot. This method is not so expensive, since you do not need to spend money on purchasing additional containers.

Organize collection points for plastic bottles throughout the city. Now the cost of one kilogram is about 20-30 cents. In this case, the costs are not as high as if it were necessary to purchase trash cans or send people to the city landfill. Since your goal is precisely the recycling of plastic bottles, and not collection, you don’t have to organize your own collection points, but use the services of existing ones. You can also negotiate with city waste collection services on regular supplies of raw materials. The cost of one ton is about $100.

A deposit scheme is another option. Its essence is to arrange the return of used packaging back to points of sale of products for a certain fee.

Profitability and payback of business

So, if you are interested in recycling plastic bottles as a business, then when drawing up a plan, you need to determine the profitability of the future enterprise. First you need to decide on personnel: you need 4-5 workers, an accountant, several people for control production process, manager.

It turns out that when organizing such a business, you may encounter the following average statistical expenses:

4 million rubles - purchase of equipment and its installation;

400 thousand rubles - rent of premises and payment of utilities;

200 thousand rubles - other expenses.

IN total we're talking about about the amount of 4.6 million rubles, to which it is worth adding the salaries of employees - 270 thousand rubles.

The processing results in a product that would sell for 2.9 million per tonne, depending on the type of plastic. When the enterprise operates 23 days a month for 8 hours and produces 1 ton of products per day, you can count on a net monthly benefit of 300-350 thousand rubles.

conclusions

If you strictly follow the business plan, you can say that the opening costs will pay off in about a year and a half, but this is subject to proper organization of the entire production. Besides the fact that recycling a plastic bottle is profitable occupation, it should also bring moral pleasure from the fact that a person is making a contribution to improving the environmental situation.

Man produces a huge amount of garbage every year.

Harsh statistics give a figure of 200 kg per year, and a good third of this is made up of plastic bottles.

Some people know that such a bottle is valuable source of recyclable materials, others don’t, others just don’t think about it.

And multi-colored bottles fly together into ordinary trash cans.

IN Lately the organization of lines for PET bottles is moving from the realm of non-standard ideas into a very real and very profitable business area. People took care of providing raw materials for decades to come.

Refusal of cheap plastic packaging in favor of more environmentally friendly (and more expensive) materials is unlikely to be seen in the near future. Under natural conditions, polymers take hundreds of years to decompose, so why not combine making a profit from your own business with caring for your home planet?

In Russia, no more than 6% of plastic bottles are recycled, while in the world this figure reaches 70-90%.

The pioneer in this type of business on Russian soil was the Plarus processing plant, near the city of Solnechnogorsk. The company operates according to unique design "bottle to bottle" since 2007. IN this moment"Plarus" produces raw materials only for technical needs, but in the near future it is planned to launch the production of granules that meet the quality standards of the food industry.

At first glance, there should be no problems finding raw materials for processing. Landfills and trash cans are overflowing with abandoned PET bottles. However, in reality, the main problem that we have to face is precisely the underutilization of the production line. Monitoring advertisements for the purchase and sale of plastic waste will give an initial idea of ​​market conditions and prices.

It makes sense to consider installing one or more collection points for plastic bottles. Concluding an agreement with city landfills for the supply of raw materials will significantly expand business opportunities.

Landfill of a city with a population of 100 thousand people. can produce up to 20 tons of PET bottles monthly.

First steps

The specifics of business (we work for the benefit of society!) invite support from government authorities. It can be:

• subsidies;
• grants;
• provision of premises on preferential terms.

Perhaps, right now there are corresponding programs in the region. Registration required legal entity , individual entrepreneurship is not suitable for this type of business. The optimal form of organization is LLC. To obtain a license, an environmental report from the relevant examination bureau, permits from the SES and the fire service, you will need to spend from 30 thousand rubles.

Selecting a room depends on the planned scale of production.

Line full cycle for processing plastic bottles consists of several large units, plus belt conveyors connecting them.

The total length of the installation is about 35 meters. In addition to the production premises itself, it is necessary to provide a place for storing raw materials and recyclables.

A plastic bottle is a voluminous and lightweight material that occupies a significant area. Such production will require a large hangar or factory workshop, preferably outside the city, in an industrial zone.

Mobile alternative to a stationary workshop: mini-factory, which is entirely housed in a 6-meter container. This option is great if you plan to collect raw materials in several small towns. Loading the processing line with initial PET raw materials is a top priority for successful business development.

In both cases, it is necessary to establish the necessary communications:

• electricity supply;
• water pipes;
• sewer for draining waste.

Technologically, the process is not one of the complex ones. All work can be completed in 2-3 days.

Production Line

The complete recycling cycle of plastic bottles consists of three stages, and a ready-to-work line of three main links.

Technology development recent years is aimed at a general reduction in the stages of the processing production cycle at all its stages.

Previously, the process was much more complex and multi-stage.

Crusher

This includes waste already sorted by color, freed from caps and labels. The device operates on the principle of a blender and cuts entire bottles into small pieces.

Agglomerator

Plastic mass - flex- is subjected to finer crushing and subsequent sintering into small lumps.

Finished intermediate product - agglomerate- you can already sell, or you can move on to the next cycle to obtain higher quality and more expensive raw materials.

Granulator

The mixture is heated again and in this state is cut. After cooling, the final processed product is obtained - granules.

Process in numbers

Minimum budget to purchase a full cycle line for recycling PET bottles - 5.5-6 million rubles.($100 thousand). It is advisable to add 10% to this amount for installation and commissioning of equipment. The yield of the finished product is about 80% of the original raw material (800 grams of granules per 1 kg of waste).

A full cycle line is usually designed for round-the-clock operation. The operating mode is fully automatic, except for the sorting of raw materials.

Optional equipment

High-quality multi-stage purification of feedstock and flake can significantly increase the operating time of the extruder filter and improves the quality of the final product (agglomerate, granulate). PTF Tekhprom LLC (Russia) claims quality that is not inferior to Western analogues.

The price of a line for washing and drying flex from this manufacturer is 5 million rubles. in the maximum configuration and 1 million in the minimum. Equipped with the following additional equipment production line will significantly improve the quality and purity of the final product:

• hot washing bath (high-quality cleaning of flexible paper from dirt, glue, label residues using water and chemicals);
• one or two centrifuges;
• flotation washing (effectively separates materials with different densities. Contaminants remain on the surface, while flex having a different density settles at the bottom of the bath);
• pneumatic transport connecting the units;
• unified equipment control module.

When choosing models of processing lines, it would be a good idea to take into account the possibility of a modular design that allows you to supplement, change the order and arrangement of machines.

Each installation can be purchased separately to then assemble them into a production line. The Internet is replete with advertisements for the sale of used components and equipment. Regular price monitoring will allow you to choose the right ones for the price and technical specifications options.

Income, expenses, payback

The lines operate automatically, but raw materials need to be unloaded, sorted, loaded into units, and the finished product transported to the warehouse. Labor productivity per worker: 125 kg/h. Thus, 3-4 people will be required. Also needed:

• a master to monitor the operation of the line;
• accountant;
• manager-manager.

The functions of the latter can be taken over by the business owner himself, whose direct interests are the search for sales markets. When transferring production to round-the-clock operation, much more employees will be required, but productivity will also increase significantly.

Let's calculate the approximate expenses:

1. 6 million rub. for the purchase and installation of a production line;
2. 400 thousand rubles. for rent and utility payments;
3. 100 thousand rubles. - other expenses (obtaining a license, registering an enterprise, etc.);
4. 200 thousand rubles. to pay employees.

Total: 6.7 million rubles.
The line will allow processing up to 300 kg of raw materials per hour, producing PET flakes in a volume of 240 kg/hour.

Assuming an 8-hour working day and a 24-day working month, this is at least 1.5 tons of product per day or 36 tons per month. Let's round this figure to 30. The selling price of flex depends on the color of the plastic. Transparent is more expensive, painted - cheaper.

The cheapest plastic Brown, since it is not subject to subsequent painting.

In the world 1 ton of purified PET flakes sells for an average of $500. In Russia prices are lower, about 18-25 thousand rubles. per ton. Let's take the figure of 20 thousand rubles.

Let's calculate the approximate profitability of a processing enterprise:

• expenses: 6.7 million rubles;
• income before tax, per month: 600 thousand rubles.

Estimated return on business: about 1.5 years.

Sales of finished products

Potential buyers of the products will mainly be chemical industry enterprises.

Recycled PET is widely used in textile production.

Recycled polymers are significantly cheaper than virgin PET raw materials, making them attractive to manufacturers.

The scope of application depends mainly on the degree of contamination of the product.

Recycled PET containers can find a second life in the following areas:

• production of chemical fibers;
• production of nonwoven materials;
• production building materials and details;
• production of consumer plastic goods;
• as an additive to primary raw materials.

These types of production are represented in all regions of the country, therefore Demand for recycled PET is growing steadily. A developed sales market will allow, with minimal established connections, profitable sales of products at attractive prices.

Recycling plastic waste provides an opportunity to participate in environmental programs and effectively solve the important issue of PET recycling with the production of a product that brings significant profits.

All stages of the processing process plastic bottles are presented in the introductory video.

In contact with

"Plarus" is the first Russian plant that operates using bottle-to-bottle technology. Recycled plastic is no different in quality from what comes to the enterprise. The finished raw materials are used to produce new plastic bottles.

Plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET. Statistically, it is the most recycled plastic in the world. The bottle recycling process includes three stages, for which three workshops are responsible at the plant.

Collection of raw materials

Raw materials are purchased at landfills, waste sorting plants and in private collections. Purchase price: 25 rubles per kilogram. In one hour, the plant processes 1,200 kilograms of plastic bottles.

Recycling is a seasonal process. From May to September the number of used PET bottles increases due to natural reasons.

Sorting

The most labor-intensive process is sorting plastic by color. Plastic bottles fall into a drum, where dirt is beaten off and ferrous metals are separated. The computer then determines the color of the bottle and sends it to the appropriate bin.

There are only four colors: natural, blue, brown and green. After processing, you will get plastic of these colors. This is why recycled plastic is in great demand among packaging manufacturers: the raw materials are already colored and there is no need to spend money on expensive dye.

The dirtier the container, the more difficult it is to determine its color, so one bottle can go through the sorting stage several times. The plastic is then pressed into cubes weighing 200 kilograms each and sent to the second workshop.

Washing

In the second workshop, the cube is broken, the bottle again passes through the metal detector and ends up in a washer with cold water, where dirt and sand are washed off.

The label comes off in the hot water washer. Already clean bottles fall onto the conveyor belt and are checked manually.

The flakes accumulate in the intermediate silo before the next wash. The process is reminiscent of laundry: the flakes are washed with lye and detergent, rinsed twice, and squeezed. Bottle caps float up and end up in another container, since they are a separate type of plastic that, after recycling, are purchased by household goods manufacturers.

The flakes undergo final sorting: the computer selects rejected flakes of a different color.

Granulation

In the third workshop, the flakes are cut in a grinder. Dust is completely sifted out mechanically, so workers do without respirators. Flex melts at a temperature of 280 degrees, and is drawn from the molten material harmful substances and large elements. Then a special machine (die) extrudes thin plastic threads (strands).

They are cooled and cut - transparent granules are obtained.

The granulate enters a 50-meter tower, where, under the influence of nitrogen and high temperature the plastic becomes cloudy, gaining mass and viscosity.

The product spends 16 hours in the tower, is cooled and packaged.

The finished product is packaged in bags, then the granules are sent to customers.

Recycled plastic is suitable for the production of packaging, building materials and non-woven fabrics. For example, to make one polyester T-shirt you will need 20 plastic bottles.

Plastic bottles (PET containers) from drinks, like waste paper, are the most widespread consumer waste that can be used as recyclable materials in the household.

Methods for recycling PET containers

Recycling is the processing of waste to obtain secondary raw materials. The material for PET containers is polyethylene terephthalate, which is obtained from petroleum, and this makes recycling plastic bottles an extremely expedient way to obtain recyclable materials.

Burning

Burning PET containers to produce thermal energy is a fairly common and relatively cheap method of recycling recyclables. The resulting heat is used to heat water in centralized heating systems or directly to heat buildings. The caloric value of burning PET waste is 22,700 kJ/kg.

One of the ways to use waste is combustion to produce thermal energy

There are different opinions regarding the environmental friendliness of burning PET containers due to the gases released during combustion.

For example, some authors, citing research from various institutes, believe that when PET containers are burned, pollutants (heavy metal salts) contained in the raw materials as stabilizers and coloring pigments are released into the atmosphere and at high combustion temperatures (over 700 °C) almost undetectable.

Others, on the contrary, believe that used PET containers, according to the federal classifier, belong to the fifth (virtually non-hazardous) waste hazard class, and when burned, dioxins are not released due to the absence of chlorine in the composition of plastic bottles and plastic bags. The concentration and composition of substances released into the air during the combustion of plastic waste are at the same level as during the combustion of wood. According to research data, including foreign ones, the toxicity of gases is only 0.032 nanograms per gram of burned PET material.

Due to possible harm For environment, any enterprise engaged in burning waste must obtain permits (draft maximum permissible limits, permission to emit pollutants into the air, technical passport of the boiler, furnace, fuel, etc.).

Granulation or pure flakes

This method is aimed at obtaining clean raw material flakes or granules from used PET containers.

Clean flakes - a product of processing PET containers

The raw materials generated during the processing of bottles are used for the production of products containing plastic: clothing, containers, carpets, as well as in paving stones, slate, insulation, etc.

The process of producing granules from PET material is quite complex and requires a lot of costs, which is not economically viable for small volumes: when receiving the starting material for recycling, it is necessary to sort the future recyclables from other waste and among themselves (by color), remove contaminants, pierce, remove lids and stickers, compressed, crushed (crushed), separated, washed, packaged and only then handed over for further processing.

Chemical recycling

The chemical recycling method is also used in processing if other methods are not possible or do not provide desired result. The method has become widespread, especially in America and Western Europe, although a large turnover is required to offset the costs of purchasing and maintaining equipment. Only under this condition will waste recycling be profitable.

When processing plastic waste, depolymerization occurs to obtain the starting material (terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, unsaturated polyester resin) for subsequent recycling. It is advisable to install equipment for chemical recycling at solid waste landfills (solid household waste) and landfills due to its high productivity and even higher cost.

Pyrolysis

Thermal decomposition is a method of recycling secondary polymer raw materials, which includes pyrolysis and catalytic thermolysis, which promote its decomposition into low-molecular compounds.

The decomposition of plastic waste by pyrolysis is an innovative technology

The processing of PET containers into automobile fuel is of increased interest. The installations make it possible to produce 900 grams of gasoline from one kilogram of raw materials. Plastic bottles, bags, car tires, cameras and other rubber products.

Waste rubber products are another source for the production of synthetic fuel

Producing fuel from plastic is somewhat more difficult and costly than from rubber products due to the use of catalysts. Hydrogen, hydrocarbons in the gaseous state, coke, benzene (wet), coal tar - an incomplete list of raw materials obtained from the pyrolysis decomposition of polymers.

Handicraft production

Handicraft recycling of PET containers involves the use of plastic containers as homemade products at home, in the country, or in a personal plot.

Photo gallery: Decorative crafts from used plastic bottles

Bottle peacock Decorative palm trees made from plastic bottles Houses for seedlings Flowers made from plastic bottles

The scope of application of products made from polyethylene bottles is very extensive. It could be fishing Agriculture, construction and alternative energy.

Ways to recycle plastic bottles at home

Combustion, granulation or pure flakes, chemical recycling, pyrolysis are among the methods industrial processing PET containers, even in their classic form, are not suitable for use in the household, otherwise you would have to turn your home into a waste warehouse and devote your life to collecting them. At the same time, the installations themselves for processing PET containers using combustion and pyrolysis methods for their own needs are quite within the capabilities of a skilled craftsman.

The main difficulty lies not in the inaccessibility of raw materials, but in their volume - even compressed bottles take up a lot of space.

Burning bottles in the household is ineffective due to the rather low calorific value of plastic and the high labor costs for its collection and preparation. With the maximum weight of a one and a half liter plastic container being 42 grams, it is easy to calculate: in order to collect 10 kg of plastic, you need to bring home at least 250 bottles! Even if the bottles fall from the sky under your feet, even in this case it will take at least three hours to prepare them for use and press them.

Pyrolysis processing when used compact installation of low power can be indispensable on farms due to its versatility (the ability to process rubber products, polyethylene).

Equipment for granulating and obtaining pure flakes is quite expensive, and in most cases it is simply not profitable for small businesses to purchase it. But the purchase of equipment for chemical recycling and industrial pyrolysis is perhaps not very advisable even for medium-sized businesses, despite the rather optimistic results of a study of the recyclables market.

The homemade use of PET bottles is ideal for home use.

Technologies for recycling PET bottles

Even compacted waste takes up a lot of space

Burning

If you decide to start recycling waste and choose a method such as burning PET containers to produce thermal energy, then to implement this plan you will need a processing line or installation.

Approximate diagram of a technological line for burning PET bottles

Equipment

The combustion plant must be connected to a centralized power supply system; 380 volts is most suitable. With installation dimensions of 2.5 m x 9 m, the total weight will be approximately 25 tons.

The production line includes:

• Raw material delivery system (screw, conveyor);
• Automatic burners using diesel or heating oil;
• Automatic loading system (loading drum, hydraulic cylinder);
• Primary (main) combustion chamber (furnace);
• Secondary combustion chamber (afterburning chamber);
• Ventilation and forced air supply system;
• Chimney with gas cleaning system;
• Oxygen and temperature sensors;
• Ash transportation and removal system;
• Press.

You will also need premises for installation, equipment, collection, sorting, pressing of PET containers, and a boiler room.

Process

The technological chain of industrial combustion of plastic waste can be divided into four stages.

At the preparatory stage, the containers are pierced, pressed, placed on a conveyor belt for delivery to an intermediate bunker, where they are manually loaded into the loading drum.

First stage:

• Warming up the system and maintaining the set temperature in the furnace and afterburning chamber are carried out automatically by diesel or heating oil burners, which are equipped with timers and separated from the main chamber by a partition made of high-quality sheet steel.
• A decrease or excessive increase in temperature in the furnace or secondary chamber is detected by a sensor and processed by an automatic control unit, after which the supply of air and fuel to the burner is turned on, reduced, or stopped until the temperature meets the desired temperature.
• The electronic automatic control unit is equipped with a manual control function, which provides the ability, if necessary, to block the operation of burners, fans, fuel supply, and air in the event of an emergency.

Second phase:

• Loading of waste into the main chamber is carried out through an intermediate hopper using a hydraulic cylinder or auger. Complete combustion is achieved by creating high temperatures in the main and additional chambers with active burner operation. initial stage. The operating temperature when burning waste to neutralize the chlorine contained in bottle caps is maintained within 1200–1300 °C in the main furnace and 1100–1200 °C in the afterburner. To minimize heat losses when loading raw materials from waste, a system of automatic locking of the combustion chamber door is used when it is briefly opened to receive the next batch of PET waste.
• The waste is placed in a drum-type device equipped with an opening that closes when it is full. The loaded drum rotates, the waste falls out under the influence of gravity and is sent into the combustion chamber by a hydraulic cylinder, and the loading tank returns to its original place for subsequent filling. The entire loading process is controlled by a PLC controller.

Third stage:

• The main combustion of polymers is carried out in the main chamber (furnace). When material to be burned enters the combustion chamber, the fuel supply to the burners automatically stops simultaneously with the opening of the chamber door. This is programmed to ensure safety, as is the firebox with automatic locking devices.
• The internal surfaces of the main furnace and the afterburning chamber are made using refractory and heat-insulating materials designed for temperatures of 1280–1450 °C, the external surface is made of sheet steel.
• The air required for combustion is supplied through the side walls, its quantity is determined by the automatic control unit. Ash is formed from the solid residue during combustion. Excess heat is removed to the boiler room or other heat sink.
• Complete combustion (afterburning) of the gases formed during the reaction in the main reactor occurs in the afterburner at high temperature (1100–1200 °C), which is achieved through forced hyperventilation while controlling the oxygen content. A blower fan is provided for forced air injection.

Fourth stage:

• Primary purification of combustion products from dioxins and halogens is carried out in parallel with afterburning in an additional chamber due to the residence time of the formed gases in the combustion zone at a constantly maintained high temperature (2–3 seconds).
• At the outlet after the afterburner, gaseous substances (already quite neutral) enter the condensation chamber, where a sharp temperature decrease prevents the formation of dangerous compounds (dioxins), and the separator separates solid particles. The key requirement for the cleaning technology is the high-temperature regime and the duration of the presence of gases in the combustion chamber, as a result of which the decomposition of organochlorine materials occurs, and only after decomposition does the condenser, with a cooling tower for circulating water, perform its anti-dioxin function.

After undergoing all forms of purification, the gases enter the chimney, from where they are released into the atmosphere. The chimney is made of steel as a prefabricated structure, its height is approximately 6 m.

Pellet production technology

Equipment

• Loading system (screw and belt conveyor with magnetic separator);
• Sorting table;
• Crushing plant;
• Press;
• Automatic control unit;
• Crushing plant;
• Aspirator;
• Separators of various types;
• Filtration equipment;
• Granulator;
• Centrifuge;
• Water purification system.

Process

The production of pellets begins with manual sorting of waste. From total mass of incoming waste, especially contaminated ones are screened out, further operations for obtaining raw materials are carried out automatically.

Bottles are loaded onto a screw or belt conveyor, where a magnetic separator cleans them of metal-containing dirt and debris. Primary grinding is carried out in a crushing plant followed by air separation. To free the crushed plastic from labels, traces of glue, and other contaminants, the polymers are exposed to alkaline solutions, washed and rinsed in special baths, re-crushed and separated. The resulting substance after grinding and purification is pure flakes.

In order for clean flakes to become plastic granules, they are loaded into a granulator, where, under the influence of temperature and pressure, clean flakes lose their original volume and take on a more convenient form. reuse form - granules.

Video: Technological line for processing plastic bottles

Chemical recycling technology

Depolymerization, or polymer degradation, is a molecular fragmentation process in which larger molecules are broken down into smaller ones, producing soot, synthetic oil and gas. Depolymerization plant is industrial equipment with a temperature of exposure to raw materials in the range of 275–445 °C in the absence of oxygen access.

Equipment

• Working container for placing polymer-containing materials;
• Control devices;
• Devices for automatic or manual maintenance of the required pressure in the working tank;
• Pipelines;
• A means for heating the installation and materials;
• Steam and carbon dioxide pipelines;
• Device for ensuring forced passage along the contour of the working medium;
• Device for collecting decomposition products of materials subjected to depolymerization;
• Bypass section;
• Additional capacity(s);
• Device for turning on/off tanks and bypass section.

The depolymerization unit affects the raw material at a temperature of 275–445 °C

Process

For depolymerization, it is necessary to load materials to be processed into a working container equipped with control devices.

The chemical recycling plant uses a closed loop. Superheated steam or air is supplied in a closed circuit. The air is heated by a special device to a temperature of 170–220°, which is maintained throughout the entire process and circulates through a closed system. Next, water is injected into the circuit through the pipeline, increasing the excess pressure of the steam-air medium to 2-3 ati.

The last thing to enter the circuit is compressed carbon dioxide, which is supplied under pressure until the pressure of the gaseous mixture in the system reaches 4–6 ati. The resulting carbon-steam-air mixture circulates in a closed circuit for 5–8 hours, acting on the plastic until the initial raw materials (terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, unsaturated polyester resin) are obtained for secondary polymerization. This time is enough for the polymers to break down into simpler molecules.

Operating principle of the installation high pressure with closed loop for waste depolymerization

After the process is completed, the pressure is released and the materials and decomposition products loaded into it are removed from the container.

Industrial installations have several loading tanks and closed circuits. The control unit allows you to stop the operation of one circuit without stopping the operation of the others.

Pyrolysis technology

Equipment

Here is a description of a low-power pyrolysis installation that can be used on a small farm. You will need:

• Press;
• Heat source;
• Retort;
• Containers for condensate;
• Water seal;
• Distillation cube.

The installation for dry low-temperature pyrolysis of plastic is quite simple and resembles a moonshine still, but has some differences. The output produces pyrolysis gas, oil-containing liquid and solid carbon-containing matter.

The pyrolysis installation is somewhat reminiscent of a moonshine still.

Process

A metal container is used as a reactor or retort, the lid of which must be equipped with an outlet tube made of heat-resistant material. The outlet tube from the retort is connected to a condenser, which is a container big size, ideally equipped with a heat removal system. The condenser, in turn, is connected to a vessel that acts as a water seal, while the tube connected to the condenser must be immersed in water. Another tube from the water seal container is located on the surface and connected to a stove or other source of open fire.

Polymer circulation in the pyrolysis chamber

A reactor or retort with pre-loaded raw materials is placed on a furnace or heated in another accessible way. Molecular bonds under the influence of high temperature begin to break down, which is accompanied by gas formation. The gases enter the condenser through the outlet tube, where, with a decrease in temperature, they begin to change their state of aggregation, turning into liquid. Another part of the gases (methane), the condensation of which requires more low temperatures And high blood pressure, continue to move through the connecting tubes, enter the water seal container, float up in the form of bubbles and move further, burn in the furnace, thereby helping to maintain the combustion temperature. The resulting liquid is synthetic oil. To purify it, they use a distillation cube, which is an exact copy of the coil of a moonshine still. For safety reasons, distillation is best carried out on electric stoves, avoiding open fire, maintaining a temperature of about 200 ° C.

Video: Low power pyrolysis plant

Handicraft technology

Photo gallery: Examples of products made from plastic bottles

Greenhouse made from plastic bottles Bottle fence DIY unsinkable boat made from waste Mosaic canopy

DIY solar water heater

Finally, we offer a fairly simple scheme for a solar water heater that will supply an average family of four living in a private house with hot water.

To assemble it, you will need about 30 plastic bottles, preferably dark colors and the same volume (1.5 l or 2 l) and cleared of labels, a black rubber hose for watering 2 cm in diameter (16 meters long ) or plastic pipes for hot water of the same diameter, tools, polystyrene foam, foil, black paint (a regular spray can will do), an 80-100 liter barrel, eight “T-shaped” adapters, two elbows, a roll of Teflon and two ball valves 2 cm in diameter.

A simple scheme of a solar water heater using PET containers

We remove the corks from the bottles, and make holes in the bottom similar to the diameter of the neck. You can simply burn them with a melted knife or nail. We string the bottles onto a hose or pipe at the rate of 5-6 containers per row. We make 5-6 rows with bottles. We put this entire battery in a box made of lightweight materials (for example, plywood), which we paint black and insulate with foam plastic. In the box, hoses or pipes are connected to T-shaped adapters.

We also insulate a storage tank of 80–100 liters, place it above the collector to create circulation and connect it with pipes to the heat exchanger.

About the author Denis Polyanin

“Made from recycled plastic.” Such inscriptions are found on a wide variety of products - cans, combs, even children's toys. In the civilized world, plastic recycling technologies have already come a long way; they make it possible to recycle PET plastic bottles... into exactly the same plastic bottles.

Today in Russia there is only one plant operating using bottle-to-bottle technology. Let's see how this production works.

1. The Plarus plant was opened in 2007 on the outskirts of Solnechnogorsk near Moscow.

3. Raw materials are collected at sorting stations and household waste sites.

4. In Russia, they are not accustomed to the fact that garbage can cost money, and its separate collection is not developed (the share of “separation” at the plant is no more than 1%). The plant buys some of the bottles from fitness clubs and hotels, but this doesn’t make any difference. The main source of raw materials is ordinary landfills from all over the country (they are even brought from the Urals), where garbage is sorted by hand, bottles are separated from it, after which it is packaged and sold to the factory. 300-kilogram piles of dirty pressed bottles are brought to the factory site, where they wait in the wings.

The first workshop is busy with the selection and sorting of bottles. All equipment of the enterprise is European, from the leaders in the solid waste processing industry - BRT Recycling Technologie GmbH (Germany), TOMRA Systems ASA (Germany), RTT Steinert GmbH (Germany), BOA (Holland), SOREMA (Italy), BUHLER AG (Switzerland).

5. The bales are loaded into the bunkers of the sorting lines, after which they are unpacked and sorted.

6. By and large, the plant could operate automatically, but in Russian realities this is impossible. Automatic lines are able to distinguish and sort bottles by color, but as in Europe, where plastic is recycled in its pure form, this does not work here - due to the very strong contamination of the raw materials, human help is needed, and more than one.

8. Several teams of workers manually sort the bottles, cut off the labels, throw out any loose debris and containers that cannot be recycled, for example, those entirely wrapped in shrink plastic, with foreign objects inside, or of a non-standard color. Only blue, brown, clear and green bottles are suitable for recycling. The latter, by the way, are the least popular among customers.

9. The bottles, sorted by color, are again pressed into bales and transported outside to a warehouse, where they await delivery to the second workshop.

10. In the next workshop everything begins with the unpacking of the “sorted” bales...

11. ...after which the bottles are sent for washing.

12. Here the container is “washed” first in cold water, then in hot water, then in an alkaline solution and a special detergent.

14. The outside of the bottle is washed, the glue that was used to attach the label is dissolved. After a series of washes, there is another manual sorting station and magnetic metal separation.

16. The next stage is crushing. The bottles are crushed together with the corks, after which the resulting flakes again undergo a thorough cleaning procedure. In a special drum filled with liquid, bottle plastic is separated from cork plastic. Their density is different, and flakes from the corks float to the surface.

17. Bottle flakes undergo a final inductive metal separation procedure, after which a special computer machine selects rejected flakes of a different color.

18. Then some of the products are packaged in 2-meter soft containers, the so-called Big-Bag. Flex is an excellent raw material for the manufacture of various household goods, building materials and even... fleece fabric!

19. Before starting further production, a sample of the resulting flakes is taken and sent to a chemical laboratory for various tests.

21. After this, the flakes are transported by pneumatic transport to the third workshop - the extrusion and granulation line. The process is fully automated.

22. The process in the third workshop consists of several stages. Firstly, repeated metal separation, then preheating, removal of acetaldehyde and other harmful impurities, filtration. First, the flakes are cut in a grinder, after which the flex melts at a temperature of 280 degrees Celsius.

26. A special machine, through a die, extrudes thin threads (strands) from melted and cleaned plastic, which are dried and cut into granules.

28. The amorphous granulate is transported for crystallization and then enters the reactor.

29. After 16 hours of polycondensation in a reactor, under the influence of nitrogen and high temperature, the amorphous granulate is transformed into the final raw material - high-viscosity PET granulate for the production of PET bottles.

30. Each batch of products is re-controlled - the resulting granules are carefully studied by specialists.

31. The finished product is packaged in large bags and then sent to customers.

34. The granulate is approved for use in packaging for food products according to the expert opinion of the Federal Budgetary Institution of Health "Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Moscow Region". Bottles from it are exactly the same transparent and clean as those from ordinary granulate obtained chemically.

35. A plant employing 150 people a year can produce up to 10 thousand tons of finished products, but the current volume is less. The reason is the lack of raw materials... That is why one of the organizers of tours to the Plarus plant is the organization... GreenPeace. Environmentalists welcome separate collection garbage and plastic recycling - this process is three times less harmful to the planet than conventional plastic production. A serious reason to think!