The use of solvent recycling machines in the de ink and recycling process of waste plastic films, especially printed PE/PP films such as packaging bags, labels, etc., can bring significant economic, environmental, and process improvement benefits.
Here is a detailed analysis of these benefits:
1. Core environmental benefits: achieving closed-loop production and reducing emissions
This is the primary benefit, in compliance with global environmental regulations (such as VOCs emission standards) and ESG requirements.
·Significant reduction of VOCs emissions: Organic solvents used in de ink and cleaning processes (such as hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters, etc.) are volatile organic compounds. The recycling machine efficiently condenses and recovers the solvents in the exhaust gas, avoiding their direct discharge into the atmosphere and causing pollution and photochemical smog.
·Avoid the generation of hazardous waste: If not recycled, high concentration waste solvents that adsorb ink and impurities will be classified as hazardous waste, with extremely high processing costs (requiring qualified units to incinerate or treat). The recycling machine purifies and reuses it, reducing the amount of hazardous waste from the source.
·Reducing carbon footprint: Recycling solvents for reuse reduces the raw material extraction, transportation, and refining processes required for producing new solvents, directly reducing the carbon emissions of the entire regeneration process.
2. Core economic benefits: significantly reducing operating costs
This is the direct driving force for enterprises to invest in recycling machines, and the investment return period is usually short.
·Directly saving solvent procurement costs: This is the biggest saving point. Solvent is one of the main consumables in plastic recycling. The recycling machine can recover and reuse 80% -95% of the solvent, resulting in significant long-term savings in procurement costs.
·Significantly reduce the cost of hazardous waste treatment: As mentioned earlier, the cost of waste solvent treatment is expensive (thousands of yuan per ton). The recycling machine almost eliminates this expense.
·Offset equipment investment: The saved solvent and waste liquid treatment costs can usually offset the procurement and installation costs of the recycling machine itself within 1-3 years, and then become a continuous profit contribution point.
3. Process and Quality Efficiency: Improving Regeneration Stability and Product Quality
·Ensuring the stability of the cleaning process: The concentration and purity of the solvent after recycling and purification are relatively stable, which helps to maintain the process parameters of the de ink cleaning tank (such as concentration, pH value, cleaning power), making the cleaning effect more consistent and reducing product quality fluctuations.
·Improving the quality of recycled plastics: cleaner and more stable solvents can effectively remove ink and pollutants, thereby producing recycled plastic sheets or particles with higher whiteness, fewer impurities, and better performance, enhancing product prices and market competitiveness.
·Reduce production interruptions: Enhance solvent self-sufficiency, reduce dependence on external supply chains, and avoid production interruptions caused by solvent shortages or transportation delays.
4. Safety and management benefits
·Improving the working environment: reducing solvent vapor evaporation in the workshop, reducing odors, ensuring employee health, and enhancing occupational safety levels.
·Simplified warehousing and logistics management: No need to store large amounts of new solvents or manage and transport large amounts of waste solvents, reducing related safety risks and management complexity.
·Enhance corporate compliance and image: easily meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations, avoid fines and production downtime risks.
