What are recycled plastic granules?
Recycled plastic granules, also known as recycled plastic pellets or nurdles, are small beads or granules produced from recycled plastic. They are created through a process called plastic recycling where discarded plastic products like bottles, containers and films are shredded, washed, melted and pelletized. The end result is small plastic granules or pellets that can be reused as a raw material in new plastic production.
Manufacturing process of recycled plastic granules
The manufacturing process of Recycled Plastic Granules starts with collecting post-consumer plastic waste through various streams like municipal recycling programs, industrial recycling programs and voluntary drop-off locations. This collected plastic waste then undergoes a series of processes where it is sorted, cleaned, shredded and melted.
In the sorting process, plastic is separated from other materials like paper, metals and glass. Near-infrared sensors are commonly used to identify different types of plastics based on their chemical composition. The sorted plastic is then washed and rinsed to remove dirt, labels and other contaminants.
The clean plastic is shredded into small flakes using shredding machines. These plastic flakes are then dried to remove any remaining moisture. In the next step, the dried plastic flakes are fed into extruders where they are heated and continuously mixed. As the plastic melts in the extruder, it is forced through a die plate with many holes to create plastic granules of uniform shape and size.
End uses and advantages of recycled plastic granules
Recycled plastic granules have numerous industrial applications and provide several advantages over virgin plastic:
- Manufacturing of new plastic products - Recycled plastic granules can replace up to 100% virgin plastic in the production of many new plastic products like ropes, panels, fence posts, plastic lumber, rubbish bins, flowerpots, pipes and more. This helps reduce the need for non-renewable virgin plastic resources.
- Road construction - Recycled plastic is used in road pavement mixes, maintaining roads and adding strength, flexibility and longevity to the asphalt. Reports show plastic roads last 2-3 times more than conventional roads.
- 3D printing filaments - Many 3D printer filament manufacturers use recycled plastic to make strong, versatile plastic filaments for 3D printing various prototypes and end-use parts.
- Landscaping - Granules are mixed with soil, sand or stone to create hardwearing, long-lasting paths, driveways or play areas. They are effective in weed suppression and water retention.
- Playground surfaces - Rubberised recycled plastic is poured or installed below playground climbing frames, slides and swings as a soft, shock-absorbing surface.
- Equestrian surfaces - Similar to playgrounds, recycled plastic is used to create soft, durable surfaces in riding arenas, round pens and horse walker tracks.
- Raw material cost savings - Recycled plastic granules cost significantly less than virgin plastic, reducing raw material costs for product manufacturers. This improved affordability boosts recycled plastic demand.
- Reduced carbon footprint - Plastic recycling saves significant energy by reusing existing material and preventing it from ending up in landfills where it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It takes much less energy to produce new plastic from recycled feedstock compared to virgin sources.
Challenges and the future of recycled plastic granules
While recycled plastic granules offer a greener alternative to virgin plastic, lack of post-consumer plastic collection continues to hinder large-scale production. Contamination of recycling streams by non-target materials also affects the quality of recycled plastic. Advances in plastic sorting technologies will help overcome these challenges. Setting new policies to mandateExtended Producer Responsibility and minimum recycled content levels in plastic production will encourage more plastic recycling and drive greater demand for recycled plastic granules. With dedicated efforts across the supply chain from waste collection to manufacturing, recycled plastic granules have huge untapped potential to replace virgin plastic on a global scale.
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