Coral Products PLC, one of the UK’s fastest growing plastic processing companies, has partnered with Renmar Plastics Machinery and Rotajet Systems as part of their ongoing investment in the circular economy.
The company announced its latest investment in late 2018, a new section of the factory to be dedicated to the recycling of both internal and externally sourced plastics. The main supply of material was to come from damaged curb-side recycling boxes.
Coral has worked closely with local authorities, arriving at a solution that allows them to convert damaged boxes into new replacements with minimal need for additional virgin feedstocks.
The new 360-degree circular economy plastic recycling plant was officially opened at Haydock on Wednesday 13th March by Councillor Lynn Clarke. The plant has a capacity of one tonne an hour and will primarily process polypropylene and HDPE materials.
Equipment supplied by Renmar allows even large components to be efficiently reduced into consistently sized flake. This is due to Renmar’s extensive product portfolio including highly specialised equipment for both shredding and granulating plastic.
Working in conjunction with Rotajet has allowed a complete solution to be realised, the resultant reprocessed material being of exceptional quality.
The ISVE MR 40-100 IT singe-shaft shredder is particularly suitable to process high quantities of industrial wastes, its 1300mm x 1000mm cutting chamber readily handling voluminous products such as blow moulded items.
A hydraulically driven feed system ensures that material is consistently pushed into the rotor system. The rotor utilises 45 individual cutting tools distributed over its 400mm diameter and 1000mm length. Each wear resistant cutting tool can be rotated four times, providing extended service life between replacements.
The interchangeable sizing screen ensures that product leaving the shredder is dimensionally consistent and readily processed during the next stage of size reduction.
The Engin Plast R80-55 Granulator has a powerful 55kW motor driving its 550mm diameter rotor. The 800mm x 550mm cutting chamber and long-life blades and provides a material throughput of 500kgs per hour.
The unit was specified as a ‘wet granulator’, having rotor bearings housed externally to the cutting chamber and an overhead water spray system installed by Rotajet. Once product has passed through the reversible sizing screen, a horizontal auger rather than a ‘blower’ is used to transfer pre-washed flake to the next ‘station’ of the recycling line.
The Rotajet Wash Plant is then fed via an inclined de-watering auger, prior to the flake being thoroughly washed and then dried by the plant. The resultant material is clean, dry and consistently sized, allowing it to be readily used for the manufacture of new boxes.
Coral’s Managing Director, Neil Ashurst, commented:
“Our commitment to stop plastic going to landfill is a testament as to how a business, celebrating 30 years in British Manufacturing, needs to adapt to change. We are a plastics company with a conscience and take our responsibility with regard to environmental impact seriously.
“Due to the consistently high throughput demonstrated by the equipment supplied by Renmar and Rotajet, we are already sourcing waste from outside parties. There has been a high level of interest in the recycling plant from additional UK local authorities, and businesses within the plastics sector.”
