International. In order to prevent PET containers from ending their life cycle in landfills, Aimplas de España coordinates a project in which the company Barpimo also participates and which will allow these containers to be converted into products with high added value such as enamels, resins or materials for the construction sector.
PET is an easily recyclable material widely used in food and beverage packaging. To improve the conservation of these and their appearance, in many cases dyes and layers of other materials are used that complicate their treatment for recycling.
The project is called Resipet, and is co-financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and ERDF funds within the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of Society. Through the research carried out by Barpimo and Aimplas, it is intended to develop a new economically profitable process that allows this waste to be transformed into thermoset resins at an industrial level at a competitive price and with a low environmental impact.
Specifically, it is expected to obtain two different types of products. On the one hand alkyd resins, with which to manufacture enamels or coatings for materials such as metal or wood. And on the other, polyester resins that can be used in sectors as demanding as construction or transport in the form of pipes, or composites reinforced with fiberglass.
