Toray claims advance in recycling PPS

The European subsidiary of Japan’s Toray Industries says it has established a recycling process for glass-fibre-reinforced polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) resin waste from injection moulding processes.

The resin offers outstanding flame resistance, long-term durability, and chemical resistance and is therefore used in a range of applications, including vehicles, electrical and electronic equipment, and water-related parts. Conventional recycling shortens and breaks the glass fibres, greatly degrading mechanical strength and the company says this issue has constrained recycling rates. 

The Toray marketing and sales subsidiary Toray Resins Europe (TREU) has created its new process in collaboration with tolling partner MKV Kunststoffgranulate, a compounding company based in Beselich, Germany, that specialises in recycling engineering and high-performance plastics. The resin has 50% recycled content and is said to retain at least 90% of the mechanical strength that injection grades from original materials deliver.

Analysis from SKZ, the plastics testing and research institution in Würzburg, suggests that PPS made with this recycling process can deliver a carbon footprint that is around 45% lower than that of original PPS. TREU supplies PPS resins to customers throughout Europe and is promoting its recycled PPS as Ecouse Torelina.