Coming Soon: Plastic Pellets and Practical Pyrolysis

The green/sustainable machine cover article in the upcoming April issue of Control Design is going to be a humdinger. Not only will it include packaging and printing machines from builders that have made them much more sustainable, but it will also feature plastic recycling equipment from two cutting-edge builders, who both have the potential to take a large bite out of our collective waste stream.

The first, MBA Polymers, has developed a process and plants that can separate waste plastics by type and even color down to a very fine level, and then turn that material back into plastic pellets for reuse by manufacturers. The second, Polyflow, is about to build a full-scale version of its pilot plant, which uses a pyrolysis process to melt and break down waste plastic into a crude-oil equivalent that can be refined into gasoline, and even power itself.

So, it might be worthwhile to keep an eye peeled for the April 2012 issue of Control Design, which will be in print and online in just about three weeks. Don't miss it.