At the IKK, the focus is on mechanical recycling. The aim is to produce plastic recyclate of a qualitiy as high as possible from these products which are difficult to recycle using appropriate recycling strategies and various mechanical processing steps. For the research questions that arise in this area, the IKK is working on all process steps: from dismantling and input stream pre-treatment to extrusion and injection moulding. With various extruders, with which thermoplastics can be melted, degassed, reinforced, filled, coloured, functionalised with various additives, concentrated, homogenised and compacted, the IKK team can clean the plastic melt particularly effectively and optimise its performance for specific applications. These include the Thermo ScientificTM ProcessTM 11 or Process 16 twin-screw extruders, which also have the advantage of being able to run at the lowest possible throughput (0.4 - 20 kg/h). These laboratory extruders are a valuable technical tool for the IKK Technical Centre, especially when it comes to feasibility studies on the recycling of plastic waste that is only available in small quantities. The Process 16 extruder was made available to the IKK on loan as part of a co-operation with Thermo Fisher Scientific.
‘This is a very important contribution to our research work at the IKK’, explains Dr Madina Shamsuyeva, Team Leader Plastics Technology and Recycling.
