Sorting recyclable material at the highest level
At our site in Beckum we operate a modern recycling material sorting system which recovers plastic fractions from mixed plastic waste.
The use of high-performance optical devices in addition to standard spectroscopy in the near infra-red range (NIR) allows reliable separation of the incoming materials according to plastic type and colour. Fully-automatic recognition and selection is the core task of the sorting procedure and supplies top quality grades for first-rate recycling.
The system profile in brief:
| Operational capacity | 10 tonnes every hour |
| Process | 5-level separation |
| Plastic recognition via | 7* high resolution near infrared devices (NIR) |
| Special feature | Multifunction scanner with integrated RGB camera for colour dentification |
| Delivery | Baled goods |
| Input | Mixed plastic fractions from the German take-back system (Duales System Deutschland and post-consumer waste (e.g. bottles, mixed PET, mixed plastics) |
| Output | Pressed into bales, plastic fractions that are pure and, as an option, also sorted by colour |
Technology and Process
The delivered mixed plastic fractions are fed into the system. The waste is chopped to a defined size (<200mm). The flow of material is separated into a light fraction (e.g. bottle labels) and a heavy fraction by means of the wind sifter. For example, films are sorted out as part of a recyclable light fraction. A breeches chute distributes the plastics collected in the "heavy fraction" evenly onto two conveyor belts.
There are two near infra-red recognition modules (NIR) connected in series which sort the material according to plastic type and colour. The segregated target fractions are collected in containers. The residual fraction passes through three further NIR devices for quality assurance purposes. Any remaining sorted material (negative fraction) can be used as primary material for creating secondary fuels.
The pure plastic fractions are pressed into bales, cut to size and prepared for collection. The quality of the plastic fractions is guaranteed by our own management system and reviewed in regular audits conducted by recognised monitoring organisations.
