Advanced Solution for Difficult Flexible Plastics

Flexible plastic film is one of the most challenging materials in mechanical recycling. Agricultural mulch film can contain soil, sand, stones, plant residues and moisture. Industrial and packaging films can carry paper labels, adhesives, printing inks, oils and other contaminants. At the same time, film is lightweight and flexible, making it difficult to feed, convey, wash and separate using conventional rigid-plastic recycling equipment.

The EXTRUTEX Film & Nylon Washing and Recycling System is designed around these specific challenges. Instead of relying on a single washing stage, the system combines controlled size reduction, intensive pre-washing, wet crushing, friction washing, float separation, mechanical dewatering and multi-stage drying. Optional modules can be added when the material requires additional removal of dry contamination, adhesives, ink, oil or other difficult residues.

The result is a flexible recycling platform that can be adapted to different waste streams and different final-product requirements. Clean recycled film flakes can then be supplied to a pelletizing line, extrusion line or other downstream recycling process.

Breaking the Four Major Film Recycling Challenges

1. Low Washing Efficiency

Conventional washing systems can struggle when film is heavily contaminated or becomes entangled during processing. EXTRUTEX uses several complementary washing and separation stages so that contaminants are progressively removed rather than relying on one washing machine. Mechanical friction, controlled water flow, float-sink separation and optional hot washing work together to improve cleaning performance.

2. Limited Processable Material Types

Different film waste streams require different treatment strategies. Agricultural film may require dry impurity removal before water washing, while printed industrial film may benefit from hot washing and deinking. The modular EXTRUTEX design allows the customer to select the appropriate configuration according to feedstock composition, contamination level and desired output quality.

3. High Residual Moisture

Film can retain significant quantities of water after conventional washing. EXTRUTEX therefore combines inclined friction dewatering, mechanical squeezing, centrifugal dewatering and thermal drying. This multi-stage approach reduces moisture progressively and can achieve a final moisture content of approximately 5% under suitable operating conditions.

4. High Energy Consumption and Emissions

Energy efficiency is considered throughout the system design. Water circulation, controlled heating, mechanical dewatering and negative-pressure dust extraction help reduce unnecessary energy use and improve operating conditions. The final configuration is engineered according to the actual feedstock and required output, avoiding unnecessary processing stages.

Basic Process

The basic process provides a complete washing and drying route for many post-industrial and post-consumer flexible plastic materials. Additional modules can be integrated when higher cleaning performance or specialized contaminant removal is required.

Detailed Recycling Process

1. Shredding Module

Film waste often arrives in large irregular bundles, rolls, compacted pieces or tangled masses. Feeding this material directly into downstream equipment can create unstable material flow and excessive mechanical loading. The shredding module breaks the incoming material into controlled smaller pieces, making feeding more stable and improving the performance of subsequent washing and separation equipment.

The shredder is particularly important for agricultural film, packaging film and bulky industrial film. Proper size reduction also helps expose contaminated surfaces so that washing water and mechanical friction can reach dirt, soil and other residues more effectively.

2. Pre-Washing Module

The pre-washing stage provides the first intensive cleaning operation. Film enters a high-speed washing chamber where mechanical movement and water circulation loosen soil, sand, dust and other surface contaminants. Heavy impurities can settle toward the bottom of the washing system and be periodically removed from the water circulation.

Removing heavy contamination at this stage reduces the load on the crusher and downstream washing equipment. It is especially useful when processing agricultural films containing significant amounts of soil and field debris.

3. Wet Crushing

After pre-washing, the material is transported with water to a wet crusher. Wet crushing combines size reduction with friction washing. Because the material is processed in the presence of water, contaminants are continuously carried away while the film is reduced to a more suitable flake size.

This process can also help reduce thermal and mechanical stress on cutting components compared with completely dry processing, supporting stable long-term operation when the system is correctly configured.

4. Inclined Friction Dewatering

The crushed film and water mixture enters an inclined friction dewatering machine. High-speed mechanical movement separates water and loose contaminants from the plastic. Fine dirt and suspended impurities can pass through the screen while the cleaned material is transported toward the next stage.

This stage is important because effective early dewatering reduces the water load entering the subsequent washing and separation equipment.

5. High-Speed Washing

High-speed washing provides additional mechanical cleaning. Friction between the material, water and machine components helps remove contamination that remains attached to the film surface. The process is designed to clean flexible material while maintaining stable material flow.

6. Float Washing and Separation

Float washing uses differences in material density to assist separation. Suitable polyolefin film materials such as PE and PP can be separated from heavier contaminants under appropriate process conditions. Dirt, stones and other dense materials are discharged from the system while the target plastic continues through the recycling process.

7. Second Friction Dewatering

Following float washing, another inclined friction dewatering stage removes additional process water and suspended contamination. The combination of washing and mechanical separation improves the cleanliness of the recycled film before the final drying stages.

8. Mechanical Squeezing

Film has a large surface area and can retain water even after conventional centrifugal separation. The squeezing stage mechanically compresses the material to remove additional moisture. This significantly reduces the thermal energy required for final drying and improves overall line efficiency.

9. Centrifugal Dewatering

The centrifugal dryer operates at high speed to remove remaining surface water. At the same time, fine dust and powder can be extracted through an integrated negative-pressure conveying system. Under suitable operating conditions, the moisture content after centrifugal dewatering can be reduced to below approximately 8%.

10. Two-Stage Hot Air Drying

The mechanically dewatered film then enters the thermal drying section. A controlled hot-air process further reduces residual moisture without unnecessarily overheating the plastic. The two-stage drying configuration allows temperature and airflow to be managed progressively.

With the correct feedstock and operating conditions, final moisture can be reduced to approximately 5%, providing suitable material for many pelletizing and extrusion applications.

11. Buffer and Material Storage

A buffer section stabilizes material flow between washing/drying and downstream pelletizing or packaging equipment. This helps compensate for small fluctuations in the washing line and provides a more consistent supply of recycled film to the next production stage.

Optional Modules for Specialized Film Recycling

Dry Impurity Removal Module

Agricultural mulch film can contain large quantities of dry soil, sand, leaves and other solid contamination. The optional dry impurity removal module separates a significant portion of these contaminants before intensive water washing. This reduces the contamination entering the wet process, lowers the water treatment load and can improve overall system efficiency.

Hot Washing Module

Hot washing is recommended when the incoming film contains difficult surface contamination such as adhesives, labels, printing ink, oil and other residues. Controlled hot water and chemical-assisted washing can loosen contaminants that are difficult to remove using cold-water mechanical washing alone.

This option is particularly useful for industrial packaging films, heavily printed films and selected post-consumer materials where surface contamination could otherwise cause black spots, odor, processing instability or defects during subsequent pelletizing.

Deinking and Delamination Options

For selected multilayer and printed flexible packaging materials, additional process modules can be integrated to improve separation or reduce the impact of printing inks and paper labels. The exact configuration depends strongly on polymer composition, adhesive type, printing technology and the desired recycled-material quality.

Applicable Material Types

Integrated Film Washing & Pelletizing Solution

The washing system can be integrated with an EXTRUTEX film recycling pelletizing line to create a complete waste-film-to-recycled-pellet solution. Producing clean and sufficiently dry flakes before extrusion is critical because excessive moisture and contamination can negatively affect melt stability, filtration performance and final pellet quality.

The specially developed recycling extruder uses a screw geometry designed for effective feeding, compression, conveying and plasticization of washed film flakes. The screw configuration can be adapted to the material and required output. Controlled melting and homogenization provide stable material flow toward the filtration and pelletizing stages.

Digital temperature control and efficient cooling systems help maintain stable processing conditions. A hardened, low-noise gearbox is designed for continuous high-speed operation, providing the mechanical reliability required for industrial recycling production.

Technical Specifications

Energy-Efficient Recycling Engineering

Film recycling requires careful control of water, heat and mechanical energy. EXTRUTEX therefore uses a process architecture in which each stage performs a specific function. Heavy contaminants can be removed before intensive washing, mechanical dewatering reduces the amount of water that must be thermally evaporated, and the final thermal drying stage is reserved for residual moisture.

Closed-loop temperature control can help maintain stable washing conditions, while water circulation systems can reduce unnecessary fresh-water consumption. Negative-pressure conveying and dust extraction help control fine particles generated during dry separation and dewatering.

The objective is not simply to build a high-capacity washing line, but to create a balanced recycling system in which cleaning performance, water consumption, energy consumption, equipment reliability and recycled-material quality are considered together.

Applications of Recycled Film

Clean recycled PE and PP film flakes can be used as feedstock for a variety of downstream recycling processes, depending on polymer purity and final material requirements. Typical applications include recycled plastic pellets, garbage bags, construction films, agricultural products, plastic sheets, injection-molded products, extrusion products and other non-food applications.

The final application should always be selected according to the polymer composition and contamination history of the input material. EXTRUTEX can configure washing intensity, drying performance, filtration and pelletizing technology according to the intended recycled-product specification.

Why Choose EXTRUTEX?

• Flexible system design: Modular equipment allows the line to be configured for different film waste streams.
• High processing capacity: Industrial configurations can reach up to 1,500 kg/h depending on material and process requirements.
• Deep cleaning: Multiple mechanical washing and separation stages improve final flake quality.
• Advanced dewatering: Squeezing and centrifugal drying significantly reduce residual moisture before thermal drying.
• Optional hot washing: Suitable for demanding films contaminated with adhesives, printing ink and oil residues.
• Industrial automation: PLC-based control can coordinate major process sections and support stable production.
• Energy-conscious design: Mechanical water removal reduces the thermal drying requirement.
• Austrian research and laboratory: EXTRUTEX development and testing expertise in Austria supports process optimization.
• Manufacturing in China: Competitive industrial manufacturing provides scalable equipment solutions for international recycling projects.

Complete Flexible Plastic Recycling Solution

The EXTRUTEX Film & Nylon Washing and Recycling System provides a practical route for converting difficult flexible plastic waste into cleaner, drier and more valuable recycled feedstock. From agricultural mulch film and greenhouse film to industrial packaging film and PP woven bags, the modular process can be adapted to different contamination profiles and production targets.

For projects requiring higher purity, additional dry impurity removal, hot washing, deinking or specialized separation can be incorporated. The washing line can also be connected directly to a recycling pelletizing system to create a continuous solution from waste film to recycled plastic pellets.

EXTRUTEX combines research and laboratory capabilities in Austria with manufacturing in China to deliver complete flexible-plastic recycling technology for international customers. Each system can be engineered around the actual material, required capacity, target moisture, contamination level and downstream application.