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Three expert companies – one goal: superior recyclate quality: Roberto Freire Matteucci, Daniel Nagl (Leistritz), Teemu Koskela (Syklo Oy), Josef Hochreiter, Stefan Lehner (NGR) (Pictures ©Leistritz) |
Finnish circular-economy pioneer Syklo Oy is relying on the expertise of Leistritz Extrusionstechnik to expand ist recycling capacities. The Nuremberg-based compounding specialist is supplying three cacade extrusion lines that significantly increase the efficiency of recycling HDPE, PP and LDPE from post-consumer waste streams and can boost Finland’s plastics recycling capacity by up to 50%. In close collaboratin with technology partner NGR – Next Generation Recyclingmachinen, state-of-the-art systems are being created that set new standards in energy efficiency and material quality. At the new Circular Economy Hub in Hyvinkää, the three recycling extrusion lines process mixed post-consumer plastics from household and commercial waste.
At the heart of each line is the Leistritz ZSE twin-screw extuder with MAXX technology. In combination with NGR’s C-GRAN cutter-compacter-extruder solution, the material is first compressed and homogenized before being compounded and refined using Leistritz’s twin-screw technology.
„With the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) coming into force in August 2026, the requirements for plastic packaging are rising significantly – from mandatory recycled content to extended producer responsibility and stricter material specifications. For us, this means that recycling must become more efficient, more precise and even more sustainable. At the same time, recycled products must meet substantially higher quality demands,“ explains Teemu Koskela, CEO of Syklo.
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Optimum melt quality, process reliability and high-quality recyclates even with fluctuating feedstock: Leistritz Inline Elongational Rheometer |
„Thanks to Leistritz’s innovative twin-screw technology and decades of expertise, we can now reliably meet these challenges. With Leistritz as our partner, we are fully prepared for the upcoming regulatory requirements and can offer our customers high-quality, color sorted and sustainable recyclates,“ says Teemu Koskela. He adds: „Another unique feature of our new Circular Economy Hub is the fully closed water loop on site: the wastewater will be distilled and reused in the recycling process. The separated sludge containing microplastics will be dried, preventing the release of any microplastics into water bodies.“
High-quality, efficient, precise, sustainable
In the first stage of the recycling process, the material is optimally prepared fort he subsequent upcycling step in the Leistritz twin-screw extruder. This second compounding stage is crucial, as targeted additive dosing produces high-quality recyclates that can be used in demanding plastic products – such as PO films. Thanks to high-performance devolatilization, volatile impurities are effectively removed, which is essential for applications with high purity requirements.
Expertise driving the circular economy
The project exemplifies successful strategies for a sustainable future: high-quality recyclates with stable mechanical properties can be produced – tailored to the needs of a circular plastics industry.
The combination of recycling and compounding demonstrates how premium recyclates can be created even from highly variable feedstock qualities. As a result, stringent requirements for purity and mechanical stability can be met, for example for PO films or high-quality injection-molded components.
