SIKORA’s PURITY CONCEPT V covers the entire process chain
The proportion of recycled rPET material used in the production of beverage bottles is continuously increasing. More and more manufacturers are relying on a (preferably closed) bottle-to-bottle cycle. Continuous quality control during all process stages is essential to ensure that a high-quality beverage bottle that meets the strict requirements of the food industry is produced again at the end of the cycle.
SIKORA’s PURITY CONCEPT V is a laboratory testing device that is perfectly suited for the analysis of rPET material across the entire process chain. Whether flakes, crystalline or amorphous pellets or test plates – the PURITY CONCEPT V reliably evaluates all rPET variants thanks to customized software algorithms.
In a semi-automated analysis, the sample material is placed on a sample carrier by the operator. This is then guided into the inspection area and analyzed there by a color camera within seconds. The integrated analysis software automatically detects and evaluates contamination from a size of 50 µm. The contaminated material on the sample carrier is marked in color by a projector and also highlighted in the camera image. This makes it possible to clearly identify the contamination at any time. All existing contamination can be individually clicked on the monitor. They are then visually highlighted on the sample carrier by crosshairs. This separation makes it easier to remove them for further examination in the laboratory.
The software also includes a gallery of detected contamination as well as extensive statistics and reporting functions. In addition, the system provides an evaluation in the form of a color map. This shows at a glance which color deviations occur in the material and the color value of isolated contaminations on the monitor. Furthermore, the mean color value of the examined material is determined, which, for example, enables a color comparison with other batches.
The results are clearly summarized in a test report. With this, the manufacturer can fulfill his obligation to provide proof to his customers and, for example, demonstrate that the material meets the quality requirements. In addition to individual series tests, batch-related series tests can also be carried out, which are incorporated into an overall evaluation. The evaluations and tests are reproducible, and a subsequent reanalysis is possible at any time.
From placing the material to receiving the final report takes less than a minute. Furthermore, test panels that are frequently used in industry do not have to be analyzed individually. An algorithm has been developed especially for this application that defines certain regions on the test carrier to be analyzed. This means that several test panels, e.g. from the same batch, can be analyzed with a single click. This simplifies recurring tasks and saves a considerable amount of time.
Interesting facts about rPET
According to the study “Arising and Recycling of PET Beverage Bottles in Germany 2021” by the Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung (GVM), the share of rPET in the production of beverage bottles in Germany rose to 44.8%1 in 2021. At the same time, the recycling rate of PET beverage bottles was 94.8%. Two strong figures for a sustainable recycling loop!
Many manufacturers are independently and continuously increasing the proportion of rPET in beverage bottles. For example, every 0.5 l bottle of all brands of the Coca-Cola® Group in Germany is now made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding the cap and label); worldwide, the Group has set itself the goal that by 2030 at least half of its packaging be made of recycled material.2 And Erema, a plastic recycling specialist, provides manufacturers with recycling technology that can increase the proportion of rPet in new bottles to 100%3, as is the case with the mineral water bottles of the German company “Share”4.
