Implementation of a Process for Producing High-Quality Re-granulate from the In-House Production Waste of Printed PE Film in a Closed-Loop System
摘要
The article presents the research process for producing high-quality re-granulate from in-house production waste of printed polyethylene (PE) film in a closed-loop system. As part of the research, a method for classifying in-house waste and a processing technique were developed. As a result, a re-granulate was obtained, serving as a recycled raw material for producing an innovative, three-layer PE film composed of virgin material (original) and re-granulate in a 1:1 ratio, with a film thickness ranging from 11 to 21 μm. The film served as a semi-finished product to produce garbage bags, ensuring the required mechanical properties, particularly puncture and tensile strength. The production process designed ensured the processing and reuse of 100% of in-house waste generated across the entire enterprise analysed, while reducing process factors negatively affecting the high efficiency of large-scale production. The development of the recovery method and the qualitative research on the re-granulate formed the foundation for constructing a prototype of a demonstration production line for re-granulate in a closed-loop system. This line enabled the efficient integration of all stages of in-house waste processing. In turn, the introduction of automation at various stages of the process ensured high product yield and process efficiency in re-granulate production.