Kreyenborg get official green-lights for IR-CLEAN systems to decontaminate PCR

The IR-CLEAN System from Kreyenborg, a low-cost alternative for direct decontamination of PET, has received an approval from the United States’ Food and Drug Administration.

The system is an advanced development in the process technology of the well-proven IRD Infrared Rotary Drum used in hundreds of industrial applications. The standard process of crystallisation and drying of PET Post Consumer Bottle Flakes in the IRD has been refined by various changes in the process parameters and technical modifications – this has resulted in strong decontamination results which have been proven in tests in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV.

The FDA has given Kreyenborg a Letter of non-objection based on these values, fixed on behalf of the European Food Safety Authority, so a product can use completely post-consumer material.

The key to these good results lies in the general functional principle of the Infrared Rotary Drum – the low mass in the process and the continuous movement of the material ensures a continuous surface exchange of the recycling material to be treated. Combined with the direct heat input from the Infrared light, which generates high temperatures within a few minutes, the IR-CLEAN concept needs no expensive and high-maintenance vacuum systems.

IR-CLEAN combined with a downstream Finisher, that takes the form of a desiccant air drier, giving drying values of <50ppm. The IR-CLEAN system achieves the FDA / EFSA values already upstream of the extruder, facilitating easy retrofitting and, thus, an FDA / EFSA approval of existing single-screw, twin-screw or multi-screw extrusion systems. The package, developed by Kreyenborg comprises not only the conveying technology, but also complete process monitoring and documentation of the process parameters.