Recycling of composite packaging materials

Composite packaging materials are part of everyday life, as they are mainly used for food and feed packaging. Perhaps the best-known composite material is the Tetra Pak packaging, which is composed of paper, foil, and aluminum, where every layer has its own functional property. So far, these materials have been non-recyclable. It is a significant waste flow, as composite materials comprise around 20 % of plastic waste in Europe.

In the framework of applied research, a new unique technology has been developed that deals with the material processing of composite material waste and is based on the principle of their separation by means of a leaching mixture into individual components, which are then separated from each other into single-species materials.

This is a unique solution to the recycling of these wastes. In the framework of the research, a pilot plant with a capacity of 100 kg/hour was created. Based on the data from the pilot plant, a unit with a capacity of 10,000 t/year is currently being built.
The technology is patented and a license was sold to the company Plastigram a.s.

A method of separating a composite packaging material. Pat. No. 307054/PV 2015-931.