Page 29 - Packaging News magazine Jan-Feb 2022

January-February 2022 | www.packagingnews.com.au
| PLASTICS & BIOPLASTICS 29
plastics circularity
“So, if we were to compare unam- biguously what polymers we should be recycling, we should be looking at recycling more HDPE and PP than PET. Now, there are all sorts of ques- tions and limitations, but switching to PET is not necessarily a simple matter when it comes to [reducing the] carbon footprint,” he said, before moving on to discuss sorting, which he believes is key to better markets for recycled plastics.
He said that there is a big focus on digital markers, spectroscopic and digital sorting, and suggested that these technologies should be com- bined into a system that tackles the sorting issue, which can also facilitate the kind of retailer interface the brand owners want.
He touched on the subject of fluo- rescent markers, emphasising the simplicity of the system, as it only requires the addition of one layer of
ink on the label to enable it to become fluorescent.
“This is how we can boost the suit- ability of recycling of materials into food and non-food applications,” he said, explaining that ultraviolet light illuminates and becomes fluorescent in a single step, providing over 99.3 per cent purity, and over 99 per cent separation in the second pass.”
Kosior’s final key subject in the ses- sion addressed the merits of chemical recycling, with emphasis on the fact that it is not the key method to address the end-of-life plastics but instead, is complementary to mechanical recycling, particularly for difficult- to-recycle plastics, such as film.
In closing, he said that since we have the technology to put a heli- copter on Mars, it should not be that difficult to create a circular destiny for plastic items. ■
INNOVATOR AND PIONEER
PROFESSOR Kosior’s
expertise in the plastics
sector spans 47 years.
Of that, he has spent 24
years working in the
recycling industry and
has designed numerous
modern recycling plants
and achieved many patented recycling breakthroughs.
Founder of Nextek and innovator of NextLooPP, he is involved with many industry associations, universities, and research organisations and is Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineering and Fellow of the Institute of Materials, which awarded him the Prince Philip Medal for “Polymers in the Service of Man” in 2019.
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