PureCycle and Krones – Closing the Loop on Polypropylene

Dustin Olson, Chief Executive Officer of PureCycle, explains: “The polypropylene market produces 200 billion pounds of plastics per year, and because there simply has not been the appropriate technology, less than 10 percent of that material is recycled. PureCycle has developed groundbreaking technologies that enable us to clean these plastics at the molecular level, removing color, odor, and contaminants.”

PureCycle’s advanced solvent-based technology converts polypropylene feed stock into a sustainable, ultra-pure recycled resin with like-new characteristics that can be used infinitely. Within the new end-to-end facility, PureCycle has invested in Krones MetaPure technology to wash and prepare all polypropylene stock materials for processing.

Demonstrating a true commitment to sustainability efforts, PureCycle made an additional investment in Krones HydroCircle technology. Two HydroCircle units will help PureCycle move closer to a closed-loop concept. HydroCircle converts production wastewater into treated water that can be reused in the production process. All steps that produce wastewater during production are taken into account.

“PureCycle is a company that truly believes in true circularity in its processes,” explains Jon Larson, head of Plastics Technology, Krones North America. “When discussing their need for greater sustainability efforts related to their wastewater, Krones’ HydroCircle technology presented an ideal solution. As the first HydroCircle systems to be utilized in a U.S. recycling facility, these units will help convert approximately 90 percent of all production waste into reusable process water that can be filtered back into the system.”

Once complete, the facility will be capable of creating 260 million pounds of ultra-pure, ‘like-new’ recycled resin each year, with PureCycle already scaling additional feed-and-prep facilities in the U.S. and overseas. According to Olson, “Krones is a Tier 1 equipment supplier with a clear commitment to quality and sustainability. As the relationship grows over time, it has become clear that they are an ideal partner for these types of projects.”