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MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE
FUTURE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
RESEARCH PROGRAM
Emily Tipaldo, Director, Packaging Division, American Chemistry Council
Susan Graff, VP, Global Corporate Sustainability, Resource Recycling Systems
March 15, 2016
IN THIS PRESENTATION
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• Who We Are• Why Research is Important to Do Now• Our 2016 Research Agenda• Where We Go From Here
MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE FUTURE
A New Research Collaborative
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• Members of The Materials Recovery for the Future Collaborative share a simple vision:
“Flexible packaging is recycled, and the recovery community captures value from it.”
• We are leading research to advance understanding of how flexible plastic packaging can be effectively sorted for recovery
4Hosted by: Foundation for Chemistry Research and Initiatives,
End ofLife
Sourcing Manufacture Use
While flexible packaging performs well from a life cycle perspective* due to its low use of raw materials for the product protection it affords , many stakeholders expect end-of-life management options to improve.
TOTAL LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT IS THE
EXPECTATION FOR PACKAGING
*Flexible Packaging: Less Resources, Energy, Emissions & Waste
DESPITE STRONG GROWTH OF FLEXIBLES, MANAGING CONCERNS
ABOUT LACK OF POST-USE OPTIONS IS CHALLENGING
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• Consumer expectations
• Corporate Environmental Goals
• Shareholder resolutions
• Customer (brand/ retailer) requirements
• Regulatory requirements
COMPANIES ARE COMMITED TO FINDING RECOVERY
SOLUTIONS FOR FLEXIBLE PLASTIC PACKAGING
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KEY PROBLEM: Flexible Plastic Packaging Currently Presents Processing Challenges for Today’s Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs)
• Disc screens sort materials by dimensional (2D, 3D) shape –separating paper and cardboard from containers
• Films can get tangled; cause downtime and significant expense
• Some flexibles like pouches may be multi-material
• Flexible pouches are likely to sort with flat items like paper
• Contaminate other streams of materials and devalue commodity bales
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Major Efforts in the U.S.
MRFF Focus is the Processing Element of the
Sustainable Recovery Value Chain•Dow/FPA
Energy Bag•ACC- FFRG• SPI FFBD and
Recycling Committee
•APR-Film Committee
• SPC – ILC•How2Recycle•ACC/SPC/APR
- WRAP Recycling Action Program • SPI Recycling
Committee and FFBD
Plastics Recovery Facility (PRF)Access
New Products or Energy
MRF
Landfill
Bagged or Loose?
How can it be affordably sorted
at the MRF?
How can increased value be created for
the material?
What are viable end markets for the range of
materials?
RRS OPTIONS ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED 4 KEY
QUESTIONS FOR MRFF RESEARCH
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THE KEY PATHWAY FOR OUR RESEARCH –Can loose flexible plastic be separated in a MRF system?
Collection System
MRF End Markets
Consumer
Bagged
Loose
Hand-Pulled
Hand-Pulled
Auto-Sorted
Mixed Flexibles
BaleFlexibles
PRF
Thermal Conversion
Marketable Grades
Without affecting the other value streams?
Seeded test materials into single stream feedstock
Feedstock and test materials mixed together
• All materials run through MRF
• Samples obtained from all products where seed materials were observed
• Samples sorted to measure amount of seed materials in each product
Baseline Test Conducted November 2015
• As predicted, the majority of flexible plastic packaging flowed to the fiber lines (88%)
• Optical sorters were able to extract a relatively clean stream of flexibles from the fiber
• Screens and optical sorters used were overwhelmed
• Conclusion: With adequate screening and optical sorting capacity on the fiber lines most of the flexibles in a single stream MRF to be captured
Baseline Test Results
Flexible Plastics Research Program
MRF Equipment Testing Program
PRF Research Program
Re-imagine System of the Future*
Define System of the Future
2015-2016 research program aimed at
testing most feasible solution based on net
system costs and adaptation of existing sortation technology
2016 research to develop new technology
to ensure mechanical recycling of resins that currently have markets
and increasing the value of the bale
Additional work with more diverse recovery value chain partners to
develop recovery infrastructure that handles new mix of
materials
MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE FUTUREGlobal Strategy
Address Key Challenges Through Existing Technologies
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*Looking for partners to participate in these programs
Thermal Conversion
For example, pyrolysis. Potential
solutions for smaller communities or those
that want to target the broad range of
plastics not currently recycled
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PROJECT ORGANIZATION – WE INVITE MORE DIALOGUE
Steering Committee:- Jeff Wooster, Dow chair - Pam Oksiuta, SCJ- Emily Tipaldo, ACC, project manager - Gerald Rebitzer, Amcor- Susan Graff, RRS, MRFF project director - Vince Herran, Sealed Air- Diane Herndon, Nestle Purina - Steve Sikra, P&G - Brad Rodgers, Pepsico
Technical Advisory Committee:• Steve Sikra, P&G - co chair• Larry Baner, Nestle Purina - co chair• Fabio Peyer, Amcor• Brad Rodgers, PepsiCo• Jon Pyper, Dow• Jeff Zettle, SC Johnson • Vince Herren, Sealed Air• Sandi Childs, APR • Kim Holmes, SPI• Ram Singhal, FPA• Michael Timpane, RRS
Communications Committee:• Diane Herndon, Nestle Purina – chair• Emily Tipaldo, ACC • Pam Oksiuta, SCJ• Becky Zavala, Dow• Susan Graff, RRS• Anne Johnson, RRS
Next Steps
• MRF Equipment Test Report to be published August 2016
• PRF Research Program under development:For additional information on joining contact: Jeff Wooster ([email protected]) or Emily Tipaldo ([email protected])
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• Learn where flexible packaging will end up in the MRF
• Establish baseline for what portion of flexible packaging can be potentially captured to a target bale
• Identify what sort processes need to be modified to improve recovery of flexible packaging at MRFs
Work to Date
Baseline Test Goals
Selection of MRF for Baseline
RRS Hypothesis: Optical sorters were the most cost-effective, practical way to separate FP from fiber - Based on previous RRS and WRAP (UK) work • Extensive Search
– represented different configurations – use optical sorters with performance specifications
potentially adaptable to sort FP from fiber – Easily Converted for the test
• CP San Diego MRF was a good match and an equipment manufacturer
CP San Diego MRF – Flow Chart:
Feed Stock With Flexible
Packaging (FP)
Old News Print (ONP) Screen
Mixed paper Screen
Optical Sort
Optical Sort
Air Drum Separator
(ADS)
Eddy Current Separator
(ECS)
Fines to Residue
ONP + 63% of FP
Mixed Paper +25% of FP
30% of FP
ONP + 33% of FP
8% of FP
Mixed Paper + 17% of FP
Manual Sort ADS StreamManual Sort Containers
8% of FP to Residue4% of FP
From ADS
Aluminum
Containers + 12 % of FP
HDPENatural
HDPEColor
PETMixedPaper
Foil
Steel Cans
Magnet
88% of flexible
packaging flowed with
the fiber lines
Focus is on optical sorters• Determine if specific package form, resin
content or ink/coatings cause recognition problems
• Determine if certain forms are difficult to eject
• Determine optical sorter sizing needed to maximize recovery
Secondary focus on disc screens• Work with manufacturers to define
throughput limitations caused by addition of FP
• Screen testing will be performed if manufacturers indicate need to verify throughput limits before future MRF testing
Next Steps: Lab and Further Field Testing
High-speed Conveyor
Sensor
Ejection Air Nozzle
FiberFlexible
Packaging
Collection Hood
Infeed
Optical Sorter Schematic
Screens are already changing because of the
presence of film
Screens need to be adequately sized, and not wrap materials - note shape of shafts
• Larger or redundant optical sorters would be needed to capture all of the FP in the fiber stream at the normal throughput rate
• Larger screens are needed to achieve a high FP recovery at the normal throughput rate
• A downstream Air Drum Separator captured a portion of the FP that flowed with containers- air or manual recovery of small or 3D flex pak systems will be needed
Next Steps: Lab and Further Field Testing
End Market Development Key to Success
Technology Input Products Output Products
Intrusion Molding
80% of the water used in the washing process is recycled
• Plastic grades HDPE 1-7
• Flexibles LDPE
• No PET
• Plastic lumber
• Pallets
Product Pictures
• For example, JET Recycling a promising reprocessing technology
• Headquartered and patented in Henderson, Nevada
• Technology available in Europe