A new and, according to its inventors, disruptive technology developed by Deink Brazil is claimed by the company to be set to revolutionise the recycling of plastic multilayer films and multi-material plastic waste.
Called Deink 4D - shorthand for delamination, demetalisation, de-inking and disruption - the new process offers an economically viable, technically feasible route to recycle hitherto unrecyclable post-consumer waste.
Multilayer films are commonly used to produce laminated packaging. This packaging is usually printed and consists of different types of plastic resins, adhesives, foils and/or coated cardboard, making it very difficult to recycle.
The delamination technology developed by Deink Brazil makes it possible to separate these different layers, removing the layers of ink, metal and varnish, leaving behind a resin with characteristics and performance similar to virgin resin, the company said.
"It is a chemical process within a mechanical recycling line, a hybrid recycling with potential for global use," explains Marcelo Mason, head of Sustainability & ESG at Deink Brasil. No solvents are used.
The company already made use of the innovative de-inking technology developed by Spanish company Cadel, enabling the total removal of inks from printed plastic waste.
“We wanted to go further, to find other new solutions,” said Mason. “Achieving mastery of the delamination process is a true milestone in the plastic recycling industry.”
Deink Brasil was founded in 2017 by Rogério Mani, currently the chair of the company's Board of Directors. The company brought the Cadel de-inking technology developed at the University of Alicante in Spain to Brazil and holds the exclusive licence for the process. The Brazilian packaging specialist Valgroup acquired a stake in the company in 2022.
The company aims to start up its first 4D multi-layer plastics recycling line at its new 30,000 m2 plant in Itupeva (São Paulo) in July, with plans for a second line soon, depending on the level of demand. The initial investment is R$ 85 million and the plant has an installed capacity of 25 thousand tons/year. In the long term, by 2030, the company plans to have ten more lines with the technology in operation, not only in São Paulo but also in other regions of the country, said Mason.
"The first production line for the Deink 4D technology …will specifically treat BOPP - bioriented polypropylene - films, which are extremely relevant for brands," explained Marcelo Mason.
The potential of the new 4D technology is huge, he added. Brazil is the fourth largest producer of plastic waste in the world, with more than 2.4 million tons of plastic being disposed of ‘irregularly’ - without treatment and, in many cases, in open air dumps. Approximately 7.7 million tons of waste are sent to landfills every year.