Page 30 from: New issue out now!
a u t h o r Kirstin Linnenkoper
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Tech fanfare at K2019!
Welcoming around 225 000 visitors and 3 330 exhibitors from 168 countries
worldwide, the K Show is undoubtedly the biggest event dedicated to the plastics
and rubber industry. recycling International attended this buzzworthy expo and
conference and here are the highlights.
has attracted a large group of visitors
on a rainy October day.
Lindner’s novel shredder is equipped
with a direct belt drive that enables
rotor speeds of over 300 rpm. As a
result, it can produce up to 2.5 times
more output in this area of application
than the previous version. Steiner
notes that the rotor length is 1 500
mm – meaning that a much requested
entry-level model in the Micromat
series has been created.
‘Our Chilean client Comberplast will
use it to process discarded fishing
nets,’ she adds. ‘This way, they can
help clean up the oceans while con-
verting what people consider to be
waste into valuable products.’
Goodbye, Ghost nets
Comberplast ceo Michel Compagnon
is smiling from ear to ear as he shakes
hands with the Lindner team at the
press conference. ‘I cannot wait to
take the machine home and put it into
operation at our facility in Santiago,’
he says. The entrepreneur realises
there is a lot of work to be done as
‘ghost nets’ represent over 10% of
plastic ocean waste. In countries like
Chile, where fishing is a major indus-
try, the volume is significant.
A positive development is that there
are currently 26 fishing communities
involved in a nationwide recycling
scheme. Upwards of 185 tonnes of
ghost nets have been collected for
recycling since 2013. ‘By investing in
modern technology, we can do even
better,’ Compagnon adds. Steiner
notes that plastic ‘doesn’t have to be
the enemy’.
Precise cuttinG system
According to Lindner, the shredder’s
most innovative feature is the
Multiplex cutting system. Thanks to
the three-dimensional arrangement of
the rotor knives, this advanced system
can shred almost any plastic. Because
the knives actively pull in the material,
output can be increased by some 40%
on average compared to previous
technologies.
‘During development, we tested a
wide range of materials together with
our clients and optimised the cutting
For eight days in October, the
German city of Düsseldorf is trans-
formed into a melting pot for innova-
tive technologies and modern solu-
tions for plastics and rubber.
Recyclers, equipment manufacturers,
researchers, students and engineers
unite to connect and, of course, to
take a sneak peek at the exciting
products and projects that are shap-
ing the future of these materials.
It’s definitely a dynamic sector. The
global plastic products market alone
is expected to be worth at least EUR
653 billion next year, according to
market analysts. The film and sheet
packaging market represents the big-
gest segment, making up roughly
20%.
Meanwhile, the recycled plastics mar-
ket was valued at EUR 36.5 billion last
year and is estimated to reach EUR
60.5 billion by 2026. Polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) holds the highest
market share, at approximately 34%,
and continues to grow around 5.5%
per year. PE holds the second largest
share, due to its widespread availabili-
ty in the market, accounting for
26.3%.
Lindner cLeans oceans
Austrian technology supplier Lindner
has developed the new Micromat HP
shredder specially designed for shred-
ding post-consumer and industrial
film. ‘The very first machine in our
next generation series has already
been sold to a new client based in
Chile,’ Lindner’s marketing specialist
Pia Maria Steiner tells Recycling
International at the K Show. ‘This is a
great start for us at the expo!’
Steiner goes over product specs dur-
ing the daily live demonstration, which
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