Pure Cycle sought an advanced system to efficiently remove contaminants and sort polypropylene (PP) from bales, containing PP as well as other high-value materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) purchased from other material recovery facilities (MRFs) or post-industrial PP plants. With a preference of at least 90% purity for their PP bales, the purchased bales are typically found to be below this threshold. Pure Cycle partnered with Machinex due to their expertise in plastic sorting using Mach Hyspec® optical sorters and SamurAI® sorting robots, significantly reducing the need for manual labor.
PureCycle’s CEO, Dustin Olson reflects, “It was great to work with Machinex on the development of our first regional pre-processing (PreP) facility. The Machinex technology and their team helped to quickly turn it into a professional, efficient PreP operation. Most importantly, it has allowed us to feed our flagship purification facility in Ohio with a more pure feedstock stream.”
The equipment being utilized for this pre-processing (PreP) facility consists of four MACH Hyspec® optical sorters, two II-RAM Balers, two SamurAI® sorting robots, an Eddy Current, a magnet and a Mach trommel™. Additionally, the MACH Intell™ business intelligence platforms installed on the SamurAI® robots are being used to provide essential data gathering and reporting, optimizing the performance of equipment. Once the HDPE and PET are sorted out of their material stream, PureCycle can sell those commodities to be used by other recyclers.
“Partnering with PureCycle represents a strategic advancement for Machinex in our efforts to advancing the plastics recycling landscape. This collaboration showcases the performance of our sorting technologies in a high demanding application, specifically in multi-grade plastics recycling. We appreciate the trust PureCycle placed in us to complete this project, and proud to witness them achieve their results as expected” states Chris Hawn, CEO of Machinex Technologies.
This collaboration not only underscores Machinex’s commitment to providing cutting-edge sorting solutions, but also supports PureCycle’s mission to create a sustainable circular economy for plastics.
