Europe’s first industrial-scale independent testing and research centre, the NTCP (National Test centre Circular Plastics), in the Netherlands has set out to examine the behaviour of different plastics during sorting and washing.
Lindner Washtech
Dutch NTCP invests in Lindner Washtech’s Modular Washing System
Lindner Washtech’s Modular Washing System
The goal is to optimise processes quantitatively, qualitatively and with more efficient energy use in order to promote plastics in a circular economy.
NTCP Director Martine Brandsma has approved a Lindner Washtech Modular Washing System, which will be installed in August, for use in the Heerenveen test centre.
The simple version of the entire recycling process involves plastic entering the correct sorting stream and route to the relevant mechanical and chemical recyclers, resulting in a higher percentage of plastics in the loop. Brandsma, however, knows the process is much more complex: “It’s like a chess game, played on seven boards all at once – and chess moves are being made on each one.” Recycling requires numerous stakeholders to each play a role, from collectors and washers, to sorters and recyclers. The current system is thus changing. The NTCP has a 25x20 metre long, and nine metre high industrial sorting system that simulates the entire sorting process. The modular design of the Lindner system allows for settings to be adapted to different testing requirements, which can then be analysed in detail. In this way, one can also test how different sorting techniques interact.
NTCP Technical Director Freek Van Rhijn added: “Soon we will be able to simulate and optimise the entire washing process for all materials. From shredding, dry washing, cold and hot washing, density separation, mechanical and thermal drying, all the way to separating with a flake sorter. We can also focus on the detergents required and the environmental impact of using more or less water … With the new washing system, we can examine every single step, from sorting all the way to the final clean plastic flake.”
Lindner Washtech Managing Director Harald Hoffmann said: “The modular system will soon make it possible for different types of plastic to undergo different washing tests. This is made more feasible as the modules can be independently integrated into the process. In addition, the washing modules can be separately adapted to the requirements of each kind of plastic and its degree of contamination. This flexibility creates multiple opportunities for process optimisation at every step of the way.”
Lindner Washtech is also including a universal plastic shredder from its Antares series, as well as a wet granulator.
The NTCP reinvests all its profits and equally addresses different organisations and stakeholders within the circular plastic recycling chain. Many national and international companies have already expressed an interest in collaborations and partnerships.
Lindner Washtech intends to make use of the Heerenveen facility to further develop its washing components and to test prototypes. “
The NTCP will continue on its path to achieve the firm goal of increasing the amount of recycled material and accelerating innovation across recycling chains. Brandsma concluded: “We have the ambition to be the preferred partner for testing and research in the field of household waste streams. We are already eighty per cent on track to reach our target for 2022. [I] it is a confirmation that we have set up our business model successfully and our projects are achieving great results. We’re just a small team here at NTCP, so that’s something we are very proud of."