Granule production - Operation
The plant processes post-consumer plastic, specifically: flexible polyethylene film originating from separate waste collection for production of high quality granules.
Polyethylene, comprised of different polymers, namely LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene), MDPE (Medium Density Polyethylene), HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) and LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene), originating from sorting plants including those of the ReLife Recycling division, undergoes various processing stages to produce recycled granules from high-quality post-consumer plastic, used as a secondary raw material. The majority of the granules produced are used by Plastipoliver to produce refuse bags, but other companies also produce not only bags, but tubes and film for mulching. All the products obtained are thus made from recycled materials and are, in turn, recyclable.
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Sorting
The first step consists of brief manual sorting, which includes visual inspection of incoming waste, and an infra-red spot check to verify the intrinsic quality. Any material not suitable for processing is then delivered to the ReFuel plant to produce SSF secondary solid fuel, green energy for Italian and European cement plants.
Grinding
After sorting, the plastic undergoes grinding, a process that shreds the material into small, more uniformly sized particles. Next, the ground polyethylene proceeds to the washing phase in order to remove impurities and separate materials with unsuitable unit weight. The water used in washing remains in a closed loop system and is mostly rain water; rain that falls in yards and on roofs is channelled into collection tanks, allowing considerable savings in terms of natural resources.
Pressing and drying
The next step in production is pressing and drying, which removes excess humidity and deodorises the material.
Blending
Additional grinding further reduces particle size in preparation for the start of the blending process in silos, which guarantees high, reliable quality granules even with large volumes of product processed. The material is then ready for extrusion and transformation into secondary raw material granules. Granules are obtained by chopping the extruded product, which solidifies as it drops into cold water. The water is cooled without the use of refrigeration, thus reducing the associated environmental impact.
High product quality
The extrusion plant is equipped with a high-tech filtration system that can eliminate even the smallest impurities, and boasts an output capacity of approximately 1,700 kg/h. The outgoing product comprised of granules of post-consumer secondary raw materials, is of extremely high quality, with performance comparable to that obtained from virgin materials, and with superior performance in terms of environmental impact, based on circular economy parameters.
Production of three types of granules
Three different types of granules are produced: opaque (black), mixed colours (green or blue) and clear. The granules proceed to the homogenisation and blending silos, and are then stored in 1000 kg sacks in uniform batches of 22,000 kg, ready to be sold.
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