Next-Level HDPE & LDPE Post-Consumer Recycling & Pelletizing System

1. Executive Summary

This complete turn-key system is engineered for post-consumer HDPE rigid regrind and LDPE/LLDPE agricultural & packaging film recycling. Combining high-performance washing, multi-stage filtration, powerful degassing, anti-odour thermal-physical treatment and intelligent pelletizing technology, the line converts heavily contaminated household post-consumer waste into premium food-contact compliant PCR-PE pellets.

Final recycled HDPE pellets comply with U.S. FDA 21 CFR Part 177.1520 (c)(2.1) for polyethylene food-contact applications. Output pellets are qualified for high-grade sheet, blow-molded containers and food-grade packaging production. Line throughput ranges 500-2000 kg/h, fully customizable according to raw-material pollution level and target capacity.

2. Target Feed Materials

• HDPE: Post-consumer household rigid regrind, milk bottle flakes, bucket & container regrind, washed rigid HDPE flakes after hot-washing treatment.
• LDPE / LLDPE: Agricultural mulch film, greenhouse cover film, silage wrap, supermarket stretch & shrink packaging films with paper labels and printing residues.
• Input material status: Post-consumer waste with ink, adhesive, soil, organic residues and migrated odour contaminants.

3. Core Technical Challenges of Post-Consumer PE Recycling

• Residual glue, printing ink and fine foreign particles embedded in plastic surfaces.
• Migrated odour compounds absorbed from food, detergent and agricultural environment.
• High moisture and low bulk density for film-type input, causing unstable feeding & plasticization.
• Risk of micro-contamination preventing end-use for food-grade applications.
• Volatile components released during melting, affecting pellet appearance and customer acceptance.

Our integrated solution addresses all above pain points via full-process control from sorting, hot friction washing through to final pelletizing and de-odorising.

4. Complete Process Flow

Raw Material Collection → Pre-sorting & Metal Separation → Crushing → Hot-Friction Washing → Multi-Stage Counter-Current Rinsing → Floating Separation → Dewatering & Drying → Feeding & Compacting → Extrusion Plasticization → Multi-Stage Melt Filtration → Powerful Double Vacuum Degassing → ReFresher Anti-Odour Thermal-Physical Treatment → Pelletizing → On-line Blending & Inspection → Weighing & Compaction Packing → Finished Food-Grade PCR-PE Pellets

Machine	Photo of machine	Technical specifications
Belt conveyor		Transfer plastic waste such as films, silk, woven bags to the pellet; the feeding speed of the conveyor belt according to the fullness of the agglomerator by the inverter.
Compactor cutter		Ideal material preparation in the Preconditioning Unit Cutting, homogenising, heating, drying, compacting, buffering and dosing – in a single stage. The dynamically controlled Preconditioning Unit (PCU) is multitalented. It prepares the plastic ideally for the extruder and sets the course for consistently high end product quality already at the beginning of the recycling process. Functions: CUTS, HOMOGENISES, HEATS, DRIES COMPACTS, BUFFERS, DOSES
Short genter melt extruder		Gentle melting, low shear stress Because it has been preheated in the PCU, the material in the extruder reaches the required melt temperature more quickly. This shortens the extrusion process (shorter extruder), the time taken to melt the material, and the time it spends in the extruder. Input material: up to 10 % moisture possible Moisture is removed prior to extrusion Highly volatile odours are removed prior to extrusion (particularly effective with additional Air Flush technology)
BMF200-2 Full Automatic belt melt filter(Mesh:100-200)		Highly efficient filtration Thanks to the low shear stress, impurities are hardly broken up and are therefore large enough to be removed easily and efficiently by the POLYTEC belt melt filter before the melt is homogenised. Against odour and discolouration: The early removal of impurities such as cellulose (wood, paper), rubber and silicone means that they can no longer oxidise or overheat, later and no unpleasant odours or discolourations develop, which is a decisive quality basis for the melt. Lowest melt loss of all filtration technologies(less than 0.5%). Full automatic
single screw extruder with triple degassing unit		Powerful degassing Highly efficient triple degassing(in real full-vacuum state) The first stage of degassing takes place at the start of the process in the PCU. Step two is second extruder degassing, which is made possible by the optimised screw design. after melt filtration(in real full-vacuum state) The final triple venting degassing at the extruder is particularly effective and removes gas inclusions which are still present from the melt.
Roots Pump - Two-Stage Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump Unit		Filtration: Removes contaminants such as dust, particulates, moisture (in some filters), and oil mist from the gas before it enters the vacuum pump(s). It acts as a "mask" for the vacuum system. Primary Vacuum Pump (Foreline/Roughing Pump): Its task is to start evacuation from atmospheric pressure (~1013 mbar) during system start-up, establishing a preliminary vacuum environment (e.g., down to the 1-10 mbar range) and providing the necessary working precondition for the secondary pump. Secondary Vacuum Pump (Main/High Vacuum Pump): Typically Roots pumps (booster pumps). They operate on the "forevacuum" created by the primary pump to further achieve a higher vacuum level (e.g., from 10^-3 mbar down to 10^-9 mbar or even lower).
Pelletizing		New European design water ring pelletizer, Cutting speed of pelletizer controlled automatically by PLC according to the pressure of die head, which could achieve the uniform size for output pellets.
Drying system		Centrifugal dryer match with hot air drying system
Auto weighing&packing system	Automatic Weighing, Alarm & Bagging System Smart packaging solution for plastic pellet production. With accurate weighing, automatic bag clamping, high-level alarm and dust-tight connection, it ensures stable and efficient packaging for PP, PE, PS, ABS and PET pelletizing lines. Ideal for food-grade recycled pellets and high-value plastic recycling projects.
Smart Control cabinet		SMART intelligent control: HMI PLC control: ergonomic touch screen, easy operation, high stability, low late maintenance cost Recipe memory Remote diagnosis and data transmission High safety protection: to protect personnel safety and equipment safety Emergency stop protection (equipment stop in emergency situations) limit switch Protect the shell High-speed transmission parts warning reminder (yellow paint, sign)

5. Key System Modules & Technical Advantages

5.1 Hot-Washing Pre-Treatment Section

High-temperature hot friction washing unit removes stubborn glue, ink and surface organic contaminants. Automatic lye dosing controlled by conductivity sensors maintains stable bath conditions. Adjustable material residence time adapts for different contamination degrees. Multi-stage counter-current rinsing eliminates chemical residues before extrusion.

5.2 Compacting & Feeding Unit

Specially designed compactor increases bulk density for light LDPE film flakes. Solves starvation-feeding risk for low-density film input, stabilizes continuous extruder feeding and improves overall line efficiency.

5.3 Extrusion & Multi-Stage Filtration System

High-performance extruder with optimized screw geometry for HDPE rigid flakes and LDPE film processing. BMF Automatic Belt Melt Filter delivers large filter area, continuous self-cleaning, maximum removal of fine solid impurities. Multi-level filtration prevents unmelted particles from entering final pellets, a critical prerequisite for food-grade quality.

5.4 Powerful Degassing & ReFresher Anti-Odour Technology

• Double-stage vacuum degassing inside extruder removes moisture and high-volatile low-molecular contaminants during melting.
• ReFresher thermal-physical cleaning process, no chemical additives required. Continuous hot-gas purging discharges low-volatile odour substances with first-in-first-out principle, without complex high-demand vacuum system. Greatly reduces residual odour for post-consumer recycled pellets.

5.5 Intelligent On-line Quality Control

• On-line blending equipment stabilizes pellet quality despite input material fluctuation.
• On-line inspection monitors key quality indicators to avoid out-of-spec batches.
• Real-time on-line weighing tracks production throughput.
• Vibration compaction packing unit achieves target fixed weight and maximizes pellet bulk density, lowering packaging & logistics cost.

5.6 Final Pelletizing Unit

Water-ring / strand pelletizing configuration optional according to capacity requirement. Produces uniform, low-moisture recycled PE pellets ready for downstream blow-molding, sheet extrusion and film production.

6. Final Product Performance & Compliance

• HDPE Recycled Pellets: Pass U.S. FDA 21 CFR Part 177.1520 (c)(2.1), suitable for food-contact applications.
• Low odour level, low ash content, consistent MFI value, minimum residual contamination.
• End-product applications: Food-contact packaging, high-grade sheets, blow-moulded containers, industrial durable goods.

Test Remark: Post-recycled HDPE pellets derived from full-line treated post-consumer waste pass FDA food-contact compliance test.

7. Typical Plant Parameters (Reference)

8. Our Value Proposition

• One-stop complete solution: Washing line + pelletizing system + quality inspection & packing.
• Proven technology to upgrade post-consumer waste into high-margin food-grade PCR-PE pellets.
• Modular design: customers can select modules according to existing workshop setup.
• Overseas installation guidance, commissioning and operator training support.
• Enable customers to fulfill circular-economy & sustainable recycled-content targets.