Syensqo, the new firm incorporating Solvay’s plastic business, has successfully mechanically recycled its Ixan polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) within a standard polyethylene (PE) based waste stream.
Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) is used in food, beverage, and healthcare multilayer barrier packaging across the world. It is a material of choice in multi-layer food backing due to its superior oxygen and water vapour barrier properties. Multi-layer films are often considered unrecyclable, mainly due to the fact their different layers are often made from different materials.
Now, recycling trials conducted by testing and certification company CSI showed that multilayer food packaging structures with Ixan PVDC can be recycled into feedstock for non-food applications together with PE waste streams.
The tests were performed with structures for high-barrier meat packaging using PE/EVA/Ixan/EVA/PE multilayer films. The impact of the structures on the recycling process was evaluated in comparison to a reference sample of real flexible packaging waste.
The trials were conducted in compliance with EN 13430, which defines the requirements for packaging material recycling in Europe. The multilayer Ixan PVDC structures passed all testing without any critical issues in grinding, subsequent washing/drying, extrusion/pelletising and injection moulding up to 220 C.
“Our tests have now demonstrated that film structures using our Ixan PVDC product are fully compatible with existing mechanical PE recycling,” said Federico Baruffi, global marketing manager packaging at Syensqo. “Notably, the resulting recycling can give used food packaging a second life in other applications and open new opportunities for sustainable material management without the addition of any stabilisers.”
Syensqo said the resulting feedstock can be used in injection moulded items such as flowerpots, pallets, benches, amongst others.
The company had previously partnered with sensor-based sorting technology provider Tomra to demonstrate that multilayer PVDC packaging waste can be successfully separated and sorted.
When part of Solvay, the company developed proof of concept that Ixan PVDC can be recycled without compromising the barrier performance of the material.
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