How GEA decanters are used in the PET recycling industry

In the recycling process of PET bottles, old products are first shredded into small pieces of two to three millimeters. Then hot and cold washing and subsequently caustic water is carried out to remove dirt such as sand, solids, sticker and adhesive residues.

In order that washing water and expensive alkaline solutions do not have to be constantly replaced or the equipment and machines required in the subsequent process do not become clogged, all contamination must be removed from the water circuit during cleaning. GEA environmental Decanter with very high G-force and torque handling capability are used here in the recycling industry. The washing water cleaned by this process can be fed back into the process cycle. This protects the environment and reduces production costs. Thus, an efficient separation system contributes invaluably in maintaining the water circular economy. 

The cleaned PET flakes are then available for further use and can be processed into sports shoes, functional garments, cushion fillings, reusable bags, binders or for processing the polyester in hygiene products such as wet wipes, or for "bottle-to-bottle" recycling, which requires a very tedious process of cleaning used PET bottles.