Total creates virgin ‘booster resin’ for HDPE beverages

The ‘booster resin’ has high levels of recycled content which it says contributes ot the Circular Economy.

Post Consumer Recyclate

The product will focus on industrial liquid applications initially, before looking for opportunities in the food sector. ​

Herman Van Roost, business development manager, Recycling, Total, told BeverageDaily the company has developed an ultra-performing and highly technological HDPE virgin product, specifically designed and produced as an intermediate resin.

“We use this “boosted” HDPE for compounding it with Post Consumer Recyclate to overcompensate for any lack of performance and consistency of the PCR. The resulting compounds are meant to be fully equivalent to any virgin resin sold in the same application, but in reality they largely outperform them in all key aspects for their application​,” he said. ​

“Next we are developing resins for general purpose injection applications and, in parallel, obtaining approval for food contact applications​.”

The launch comes as the company wants to expand its polymer applications range of Circular Compounds to polystyrene and polypropylene and is asking for support from the plastic value chain: from collectors, recyclers, packaging experts and eco design conception.

“We look forward to collaborating with key industry players and leaders interested in supporting our initiatives and willing to be part of them​,” added Van Roost.

Fully operational 2017

The range consists of HDPE polymer products, in natural color, including blow-molded bottles and heavy-duty containers with a 25% or 50% minimum Post Consumer Recyclate (PCR).

Total’s initial production capacity of HDPE Circular Compounds amounts to 20 kT, being fully operational in 2017.

The recycled content originates from post-consumer household waste collected in Western European countries and is recycled by selected partners chosen by Total for their product quality and recycling process capabilities.

In its Antwerp plant, Total applies a decontamination step, which transforms the PCR into an fragrance-free resin.

For the Circular Economy and for plastics in general, the concept of high performance Circular Compounds allows the recycling industry and the virgin resin industry to open up new markets for high-quality recycled polymers.

To contribute to this, Total says it is developing additional grades for a variety of applications.