Retrofit Solutions for Recycling as Virgin Material Prices Increase

Mandatory Recycled Content Targets Add Further Momentum

Market Environment

After a phase of comparatively low prices, the market for virgin plastics has shifted significantly. Driven by geopolitical developments, price levels are rising continuously, directly impacting material costs for processors.

As a result, previously stable cost structures are coming under pressure. At the same time, recyclates are gaining renewed relevance—both as an economic alternative and in response to regulatory developments. Across global markets, mandatory recycled content targets and extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes are being implemented or are moving into focus, further accelerating demand for recyclates.

However, a large share of installed production lines is not designed for higher recyclate input—particularly from post-consumer streams. In addition, increasing recyclate usage typically comes with higher variability in material quality.

Retrofitting existing lines to handle increased recyclate volumes is, in many cases, less complex than assumed. Gneuss provides retrofit solutions that enable existing extrusion lines to process both virgin material and recyclates in a stable and controlled manner—without requiring complete system replacement.

 

Gneuss Retrofit Concepts

Gneuss retrofit concepts focus on the targeted optimization of extrusion and melt filtration. Combining these process steps enables a Super-Clean recycling approach, producing high-quality polymer melts even from contaminated post-consumer material—reaching virgin-like quality levels in many applications, including food contact.

The extrusion system is based on a specifically engineered screw design that not only ensures efficient melting and homogenization, but also supports intensive degassing and melt decontamination. This allows stable processing of materials with elevated moisture content, volatile contaminants, or low bulk density.

 

Melt filtration based on Gneuss Rotary technology ensures continuous, process-stable removal of solid contaminants. The fully automatic system operates without process interruption, even under fluctuating input conditions and high recyclate shares.

Extrusion and filtration systems can be implemented either as standalone upgrades or as an integrated solution. System configuration is tailored to specific objectives—such as increasing recyclate throughput, stabilizing product quality, or enabling food-contact compliance.

Due to their compact design, integration into existing lines typically requires minimal modification of the surrounding infrastructure.

Retrofit in Practice: Solutions for Different Material Streams

LDPE/LLDPE – Fine Filtration of Recyclates for Cast and Blown Film

When processing LDPE/LLDPE recyclates, reliable removal of contaminants is critical to product quality. In an existing extrusion line in Spain, the installed coarse filtration was not sufficient for this purpose.

By integrating an RSFgenius filtration system (56–100 µm), gels and solid particles could be reliably removed, ensuring stable process conditions. The material can subsequently be reused in high-quality cast and blown film applications.

PET Film – Process Control under Fluctuating Material Conditions

Stable processing of PET film requires precise control of melt viscosity. At a film producer in South America, the extrusion line was therefore upgraded with an online viscometer.

Continuous measurement enables targeted process adjustments, compensating for variations in material quality. This results in more stable production conditions, reduced scrap rates, and consistent product quality.

PET for Food Packaging – Degassing and Decontamination

For food-contact applications based on post-consumer PET, effective degassing is essential. At a processor in Argentina, the use of an MRS extruder enabled the removal of moisture and volatile contaminants from the melt.

This allows recyclate contents of up to 100% while meeting international food-contact approval requirements.

PET – Fibre Recycling and Targeted Viscosity Build-Up

In the production of high-quality PET fibres, not only cleaning but also precise control of melt viscosity is essential. At a fibre manufacturer in China, the MRS extruder is used for the thermal cleaning of production waste contaminated with spin finishes.

In combination with a JUMP polycondensation reactor, the melt viscosity can be specifically increased. This enables the reuse of materials with variable quality in high-end fibre applications.

Polystyrene – Post-Consumer Recycling for Food Contact

An example from Ecuador demonstrates that post-consumer polystyrene can also be processed for food-contact applications. By using an OMNI recycling system, the material can be fully decontaminated.

In the current application, this enables a recyclate content of around 20% in the final product while maintaining high material quality.

Summary:

Increasing recyclate usage is both an economic necessity and a regulatory requirement. The key challenge lies in ensuring consistent product quality despite fluctuating input materials.
Gneuss addresses this with tailored retrofit concepts based on a Super-Clean recycling process—enabling reliable processing and high-quality output, up to and including food-contact applications.