SuperCleanQ project progressing well
The goal of the SuperCleanQ project is to develop quality control and quality assurance tools and procedures for plastics recycling processes targeted at food contact applications. This will enable industry to better conform to Commission Regulation EC 282/2008 on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foods.
The project results will accelerate the development of new recycling processes for the wider food contact materials market and provide quality assurance for converters and end-users of recycled products applications for food contact thereby overcoming barriers and expanding this high value recycling market.
Progress to-date
Development of a test method for recycled food contact materials - a literature search and discussions with the recycling industry have enabled a suite of marker compounds to be selected, which are representative of recycled PET.
To check the accuracy of this suite of compounds and refine the selection, samples of recycled PET have been obtained from project partners Aliplast and Dentis. They have been analysed by one of the research partners, Smithers Rapra in order to profile the low molecular weight substances that are present. The list of marker compounds can be used as a measure of the purity of recycled food grade PET and hence the effectiveness of a recycling process. Good progress has been made in developing an analytical method for the determination of these marker compounds in recycled PET. This method will eventually be proposed as a “Technical Specification” method for determining the quality of recycled, food grade PET. To this end, progress has been made with NEN in setting up a CEN workshop and in drafting a business plan. A proposal for the standardisation activity was defined within the project team and introduced to the CEN system.
After consultation of the different Technical Committees, CEN/TC 249 Plastics suggested adopting the standardization activity within their Technical Committee.
The standardization initiative of SuperCleanQ will therefore be introduced as a New Item Proposal within the CEN/TC 249. In the next months, the new Item Proposal will be prepared to submit to CEN/TC 249.
Expected final results and potential impacts
The development of a CEN deliverable will contribute to the dissemination of the project results through the European standardization system.
By developing the document within a Technical Committee (TC), the project results which are used for the document will be presented to the members of the Technical Committee. Through this process the project will be able to receive stakeholders’ support. A CEN deliverable will represent this support which will considerably increase the sustainability of the research.
Technology for waste management of PET
• Produce a spectroscopy system able to identify coloured and barrier-modified material in the waste stream.
• Effective sorting, decontamination and recycling concepts for still unrecyclable barrier modified PET for food grade applications.
• Opening waste streams to potentially high value applications.
• Energy-efficient process will ensure that recycled PET is cost competitive against virgin PET.
Development a new recycling process for PET
An environmental benefit of the SuperCleanQ process is the use of recycled PET rather than virgin PET for food grade applications. Growth in the recycled food-contact market will reduce the waste going to landfill and encourage local authorities to put in place extra measures to collect and reprocess food packaging waste. In addition, SuperCleanQ has the potential to save energy and CO2 through recycling the PET.
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA – Research Executive Agency under grant agreement no. 285889.
For more information on the SuperCleanQ project, please visit the project website: www.supercleanq.eu.
The project results will accelerate the development of new recycling processes for the wider food contact materials market and provide quality assurance for converters and end-users of recycled products applications for food contact thereby overcoming barriers and expanding this high value recycling market.
Progress to-date
Development of a test method for recycled food contact materials - a literature search and discussions with the recycling industry have enabled a suite of marker compounds to be selected, which are representative of recycled PET.
To check the accuracy of this suite of compounds and refine the selection, samples of recycled PET have been obtained from project partners Aliplast and Dentis. They have been analysed by one of the research partners, Smithers Rapra in order to profile the low molecular weight substances that are present. The list of marker compounds can be used as a measure of the purity of recycled food grade PET and hence the effectiveness of a recycling process. Good progress has been made in developing an analytical method for the determination of these marker compounds in recycled PET. This method will eventually be proposed as a “Technical Specification” method for determining the quality of recycled, food grade PET. To this end, progress has been made with NEN in setting up a CEN workshop and in drafting a business plan. A proposal for the standardisation activity was defined within the project team and introduced to the CEN system.
After consultation of the different Technical Committees, CEN/TC 249 Plastics suggested adopting the standardization activity within their Technical Committee.
The standardization initiative of SuperCleanQ will therefore be introduced as a New Item Proposal within the CEN/TC 249. In the next months, the new Item Proposal will be prepared to submit to CEN/TC 249.
Expected final results and potential impacts
The development of a CEN deliverable will contribute to the dissemination of the project results through the European standardization system.
By developing the document within a Technical Committee (TC), the project results which are used for the document will be presented to the members of the Technical Committee. Through this process the project will be able to receive stakeholders’ support. A CEN deliverable will represent this support which will considerably increase the sustainability of the research.
Technology for waste management of PET
• Produce a spectroscopy system able to identify coloured and barrier-modified material in the waste stream.
• Effective sorting, decontamination and recycling concepts for still unrecyclable barrier modified PET for food grade applications.
• Opening waste streams to potentially high value applications.
• Energy-efficient process will ensure that recycled PET is cost competitive against virgin PET.
Development a new recycling process for PET
An environmental benefit of the SuperCleanQ process is the use of recycled PET rather than virgin PET for food grade applications. Growth in the recycled food-contact market will reduce the waste going to landfill and encourage local authorities to put in place extra measures to collect and reprocess food packaging waste. In addition, SuperCleanQ has the potential to save energy and CO2 through recycling the PET.
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA – Research Executive Agency under grant agreement no. 285889.
For more information on the SuperCleanQ project, please visit the project website: www.supercleanq.eu.
