Plastics separation technology designed and installed by Axion Engineering is helping an acoustic materials manufacturer to recover and recycle far more waste material for reuse in new products. The air-flow separator was developed under a Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) business support scheme for Bradford-based Niko Coatings, a primary manufacturer of mass-loaded vinyl, acoustic insulation and carpet-backing materials. Its products are used throughout the automotive, construction and industrial sectors.
Axion developed the equipment to overcome the challenges of extracting greater amounts of clean plastic from filled foam layers in vehicle acoustic products. A granulation process size-reduces the returned waste and liberates the foam layer from the acoustic sheet. The Axion-designed air-flow separator enables Niko to recover a cleaner recyclate stream so that a higher percentage can be blended with virgin material for extrusion back into new products.
Further work is being undertaken to assess the long-term viability of material recovery on a larger scale. Axion Engineering, a division of Axion Recycling, designs and delivers specialist separation technology and processing solutions for a range of clients in the recycling sector. Wrap is designed to help individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and to recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.
