Austrian inventors Klaus Feichtinger and Manfred Hackl have earned themselves a nomination for the European Inventor Award from the European Patent Office (EPO) with a development for more efficient plastics recycling. Their technology for processing waste into high-quality pellets is competing in the „Industry“ category. An alternative to plastics was nominated in the „Non-EPO countries“ category.
Hackl and Feichtinger were until recently joint managing directors of the plastics recycling specialist Erema. This means that they are operating in a highly complex field of application, because every type of Plastic polymer requires a specific process to produce recyclable material. To make matters worse, when oil prices are low, both the demand for recycled plastic and the price of virgin plastic that is not derived from waste fall. As a result, of the 58 million tonnes of plastic produced annually in the EU Plastic waste only 30 per cent is recycled.
„Feichtinger and Hackl's technology closes the loop in plastics recycling. The inventors have increased the efficiency of recycling on the one hand and developed a better end product on the other.“
António Campinos, EPO President
Plastic waste is processed in counterflow
Mainly because of the cost issue, the two nominees have focussed on Recycling process as innovative and efficient as possible. The result is systems that can be as large as buses and are designed for a „Counterflow technology“ set. Plastic waste is transported on conveyor belts, cut, mixed, heated, dried and compacted. A cutter compactor serves as a buffer before the material is processed in the Extruder plasticised, homogenised and purified.
The plastic mixture used to rotate in the Cutting compressor and the Wave snail in the Extruder in the same direction. In the screw, the material flow is then only compacted irregularly. The „counter-current“ technology reverses the principle and moves the material in the opposite direction to the flow of the extruder. This process has advantages. The Filling process runs better and the flow is more stable. The quality of the newly recovered material is also better.
Printed films can also be recycled
As advantages of the invention, the EPO describes that the Recycling time for the plastic waste has been reduced and the recyclable materials can also be processed at low temperatures. Overall, this leads to more throughput in the production line and better quality. Previously non-recyclable waste can now also be utilised, for example heavily printed Plastic films of consumer goods packaging.
Feichtinger and Hackl have enjoyed commercial success with their numerous patented technologies. More than 6,000 Erema recycling systems are already in use. Every year, the machines produce more than 14.5 million tonnes Plastic pellets.
Plastic alternative made from mushrooms is suitable for packaging
Another invention, which has been nominated for a European Inventor Award, also deals with the topic of plastic, or more precisely with an alternative to plastic and Polystyrene foams. In the „non-EPO countries“ category, the US mechanical engineers and product designers Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre on the list of nominees. They have developed a robust and non-toxic material that can be produced from the Filamentous network of mycelium fungi is obtained.
The environmentally friendly material is marketed by „Ecovative Design“ - a company that was co-founded by the inventors in 2007 and works with many international partners in the Protective packaging for product shipping. The flexible, adaptable and biodegradable substance is used for packaging and Building materials as well as in other applications including Textiles or alternative protein sources.
For use as packaging, it is important that the material has a comparable ratio of Strength to Weight as plastic products and is sold at a comparable price. The material can be recycled or composted and is biodegradable within 45 to 180 days.
[infotext icon]The winners of the EPO's annual Innovation Award 2019 will be announced at a gala event in Vienna on 20 June. You can find more information on the Competition page on the EPO website.
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