Ganesha Ecopet, a subsidiary of Indian PET recycling pioneer Ganesha Ecosphere, has recently opened its new Warangal factory in Telangana state, where it is now producing rPET for filament yarns and fibres as well as for food-grade packaging.

At the facility, the business installed 2 Starlinger PET recycling processes, and it will now sell rPET granulates under the Go Rewise brand.

With a production capacity of roughly 14,000 tons per year, the first Starlinger recycling machine, a recoSTAR PET 165 H-VAC, processes washed PET bottle flakes for the Go Rewise polyester filament yarn applications. The highest quality criteria must be met, and all extraneous particles and polymers must be eliminated before the extrusion process when using recycled PET to produce filament yarn. Starlinger has created a unique candle filter for fiber applications called the Rapid Sleeve Changer in order to achieve the highest melt purity for extrusion (RSC). With a throughput of up to 2,000kg per hour, it enables the finest melt filtering down to 15 m. Without having to stop production, the filter components can be changed, greatly reducing melt loss and machine downtime.

Ganesha is creating rPET polymers that are suitable for use in food with the second Starlinger recycling plant.

For food-grade disinfection of the rPET pellets, the Starlinger recoSTAR PET 165 HC iV+ bottle-to-bottle recycling system has an SSP (solid state polycondensation) reactor. The line began making recycled PET pellets in July 2022, and it can produce up to 1,800 kg of them every hour. Environmentally responsible and quality-driven brands receive the rPET that is safe for food, which they utilize in their brand packaging.

Prashant Khandelwal, senior vice president of Go Rewise, said that by entering the bottle-to-bottle recycling market, the company hopes to complete the recycling cycle and transition from secondary recycling to primary recycling. Bottle-to-bottle recycling lessens the demand for virgin plastic and significantly lowers the weight of plastic. Additionally, it utilizes around 80% less resources than virgin resin does to create a new bottle, including water, electricity, and other resources. Prior to the advent of new technologies and stringent government requirements, brand owners were hesitant to utilize rPET in their packaging products, but demand for rPET is now rising quickly.

Khandelwal added that the quality of raw materials varies greatly, particularly in India. Every batch of scrap that enters the factory is different and contains a variety of contaminants. They've had 30 years to learn and perfect the art of managing such garbage. They can now attain the quality required for applications requiring food-grade quality thanks to the latest technology available.

Go Rewise is now one of the first recycled PET brands in India to offer food-grade rPET for the domestic and international packaging industry thanks to the new factory.

When both of the new Starlinger lines are running, the factory's annual output capacity for rPET will be 40,000 tons.