A new process to recycle plastics without creating waste water has been developed.
Plastics including PET, ABS and polystyrene could be recycled without water, according to Mexican firm AK Inovex that developed the technique.
According to Marco Adame, who founded AK Inovex, the process can be used on 90% of plastics, avoids water use and reduces production costs by up to half without reducing the quality of pellets.
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Currently, the firm says that obtaining recycled pellet requires washing and then grinding plastic containers.
But this means moisture is retained in the plastic at a microscopic level and has to be heated to remove this.
However, the technology developed by AK Inovex doesn’t require water and so reduces energy costs and requires a smaller space in which to operate.
AK Inovex now has patents pending on the three technologies that cool the plastics using special walls to form the plastic pellets.
After entering the Cleantech Challenge Mexico contest, AK Inovex is now working with ALINSA Group to manufacture an environmentally friendly wash for plastics that does not use lye.
