Page 16 from: January / February 2016

P R O D U C T S

SICON promises ‘new generation’ plastics separation

‘Processing methods currently in
use mostly generate low-quality
plastic concentrates that are
not adequate for a high-quality
recycling of materials,’ accord-
ing to SICON. In this context,
the company has released its
Polyfloat wet treatment system
for the separation of plastics to
ensure that mixed thermoplastic
streams from e-scrap or vehicles
no longer become destined for
long-haul export.
SICON says its Polyfloat process for den-
sity-based separation of plastics achieves
outputs with levels of purity exceeding
99% for materials such as PVC, ABS/PS
or polyolefin, with throughput rates of
up to 7 tonnes per hour per processing
line. ‘The heart of the Polyfloat system is
the separator, which forms the optimum
starting point for clean separation thanks
to fins integrated inside the vessel,’ it
explains. ‘Plastic particles float to the top
or sink due to their specific density. The
so-called flotation belt effect (adherent
air bubbles) is almost completely elimi-
nated.’
Equipment options include surface
rakes, a rabbling mechanism or floor
scraper discharge. A dissolving station

and a mechanical drying line complete
the Polyfloat system. All components
are optimally tuned to one another via
a user-friendly process control system,
according to the developer. Surface
cleaning by means of a washing cen-
trifuge and circulating water treatment

developed specifically for the applica-
tion is available for the pre-treatment
of mixed plastics.
‘The user gains maximum operational
reliability with online density measure-
ment, residual moisture estimation in
the good fraction and automated dosing

of separating medium,’ says SICON.

SICON
Hilchenbach, Germany
+49 (2733) 811 760

[email protected]
www.sicontechnology.com

Epson pioneers paper recycling at your desk

Printer giant Epson has devel-
oped what it claims to be the
world’s first compact office
papermaking system
capable of producing
new paper from securely-
shredded waste paper
without the use of water.
‘PaperLab promises to revo-
lutionise office recycling by
securely destroying documents
and turning them into office
paper using a dry process – in
about three minutes,’ the com-
pany says.
The new system can produce
more than a dozen A4 sheets
per minute and 6720 sheets in
an eight-hour day. ‘Users can
produce a variety of types of
paper to meet their needs, from
A4 and A3 office paper of vari-

ous thicknesses to paper for business
cards, colour paper and even scented
paper,’ Epson notes.

The dry fibre approach consists of three
separate technologies: ‘fiberising’, binding
and forming. In the first step, the paper is

transformed into long, thin, cottony fibres
in a process that ‘immediately and com-
pletely’ destroys confidential documents.

Next, a variety of different binders
can be added to the fiberised mate-
rial to increase the binding strength
or whiteness of the paper or to add
colour, fragrance, flame resistance
or other properties needed for a
given application. Lastly, the form-
ing technology allows users to
control the density, thickness and
size of output.
Epson will put PaperLab into com-
mercial production in Japan this
year, with plans for other regions
to be finalised at a later date.

Epson
Nagano, Japan
+81 266 52 3131
www.epson.com

14 January/February 2016