PVC (aka: polyvinyl chloride) is a material used in abundance all over the world. It is used for applications in the medical sector, in connection with water (swimming pools, for example), and as a floor covering. It is also a problematic material, however, because it is difficult to process.
PVC recycling is exceedingly complex. The reason for this is that it contains chloride. Heating up PVC causes the formation of poisonous hydrogen chloride fumes, exposing employees to a considerable health and safety risk. PVC recycling is possible, however, with the correct preparation and suitable systems.
Before processing PVC, it needs to be clarified from the beginning which types of this material there are. It is important to differentiate between soft and hard PVC.
PVC recycling is particularly challenging due to the variation in stability of the different PVC types and the resulting chloride formation. Each type of PVC reacts differently to changes in temperature.
We start each project with a series of tests to find out the best temperature range for preventing the formation of chloride. Our ISEC evo plastic recycling machine can process both hard PVC as well as soft PVC.
The ISEC evo also makes it possible to form PVC micro pellets using an underwater pelletiser. The pellets are 0.6 mm in size, which corresponds to a fineness of approx. 30 mesh.
Integrated safety system
Very short dwell time inside the machine
Minimum loss of material properties
Prior to recycling, the stability of both types of PVC is tested to make sure that no chloride is released during processing. In addition to that, special safety systems provide continuous monitoring of the melt temperature.
As soon as the temperature reaches a critical threshold, the machine is automatically flushed with polyethylene pellets. These pellets remove the PVC from the extruder to ensure a safe process.
The safety system is also activated if the cutting chamber is empty, or the machine is switched off. This ensures that any remaining PVC in the system does not pose a health and safety risk to the operators and also prevents the machine from deteriorating.
It is often the case that PVC is mixed with other materials such as polyester. Depending on the proportions of the mix, it can also be processed by the ISEC evo.
Here is a brief overview of the common mixtures of materials that we can process:
PVC feed material needs to be sorted according to type and color to achieve optimum quality. If this is not possible, or if more colors are needed, then we can add an optional Masterbatch unit. The Masterbatch ensures the material has a uniform color. Feeding in additives in the form of powder or pellets, is also possible to enhance the material.
The ISEC evo offers different configuration possibilities to achieve an optimum result during PVC recycling to meet the required specifications.