Recycled polystyrene cuts environmental impact
An
Axion Polymers product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Apr 16, 2008
Axion Recyclings' plant produces high-quality branded polymers from waste fridge, television and electrical appliance plastics.
Plastic recycler Axion Recycling says new calculations show its recycled material has about 6% of the global warming impact of virgin polystyrene - significantly better than previously thought.
This finding further strengthens the argument for greater use of recyclate in new plastic items and offers manufacturers opportunities to develop products that appeal to 'eco-conscious' consumers.
Axion used updated information from DEFRA on CO2 emissions in the UK and better data from its own power consumption at full output to calculate the environmental impact of polymer production in its Salford WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recycling plant.
Opened last year, the GBP3 million plant produces high-quality branded polymers from waste fridge, television and electrical appliance plastics.
Axion supplies its Axpoly-branded recycled polymers to UK and European-based companies for use in various sheet-extruded and injection-moulded new products.
"Based on these revised figures, our total CO2 generation is about 202kg of CO2 per tonne produced".
"This compares to an estimate by Plastics Europe of 3400kg of CO2 per tonne of virgin high-impact polystyrene (HIPS)," says Keith Freegard, Axion's Technical Director.
"Our earlier figures had shown a 90% saving on CO2 producing one tonne of mechanically recycled material compared to that of virgin polymer, but now savings are around 94%".
"Based on our recent power consumption figure, this new data indicates that the CO2 impact of mechanical recycling is in fact less than we originally thought".
"For polystyrene, which is the most representative of polymers to compare with our recycled blend, we are showing that mechanical recycling is only about 6% of the CO2 impact of virgin material".
Freegard believes the figures underline the need to promote the environmental benefits of lower carbon impacts in the production and re-use of recycled material in new products, particularly for the retail market.
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