News

Aug 28, 2023

3R adds processing power at UK WEEE plant

Preston, United Kingdom-based 3R Technology UK Ltd. has geared up for growth in

Preston, United Kingdom-based 3R Technology UK Ltd. has geared up for growth in 2022, having invested to increase its ability to convert plastic from the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) material stream into marketable recycled-content plastic.

3R Technology has more than 20 years of WEEE recycling experience in the Netherlands, Serbia and the U.K., according to Austria-based Untha, one of its equipment vendors. At the start of this decade, 3R has turned its attention to the U.K. market "and the WEEE plastic processing challenge" in that nation, according to Untha.

Approximately 2,000 metric tons of shredded small domestic appliance (SDA) plastics are now being handled by the 5,000-square-meter (54,000-square-foot) Preston facility every month.

Two Untha shredders provide much of the processing capability at the plant. A single-shaft Untha LRK plastic shredder processes polystyrene (PS) refrigerator plastics, and a four-shaft Untha RS40 with a screen "achieves a refined 30-millimeter (mm, or 1.2-inch) fraction after processing the SDA mix. Particle homogeneity is ensured by both machines, says Untha.

The shredded plastic is then transported via conveyor belt to a washing line with a float tank, to be cleaned and dried. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/PS and polypropylene/polyethylene (PP/PE) materials are then directed through an electrostatic separator to create what 3R calls "pure, high-value ABS and PS flakes for remanufacturing."

Untha says 3R has "rigorously tested [its] state-of-the-art processing line" and is now "on the hunt for more material heading into next year and beyond, with the site capable of recycling various plastics, including flat-screen TV cases, computer monitor housings and computer-based peripherals."

The goal is to reach an annual processing level of more than 5,000 metric tons per month in 12 months’ time, with plans to open two additional plants in the south of England and in Scotland, in the near future.

"The U.K.'s WEEE recycling capabilities are continuously improving," says 3R Technology's founder and CEO Wang Yu Lin. "However, the focus is usually the processing of metallic content."

Wang continues, "We’re therefore partnering with WEEE and scrap metal handler to tackle the 50 percent mixed plastic that typically remains once redundant appliances have been shredded. This still has a significant resource value, which often isn't realized in the U.K."

This is not 3R Technology's first Untha investment. "We use Untha at our Dutch plant, too," says Wang. "So, when it came to selecting the processing machinery for our U.K. facility - equipment that is easy to use, simple to maintain and has an impressive capacity--we knew where to go."

Wang adds, "Untha shredders make the job of our downstream technology so much easier. We’re able to segregate a further 3 to 5 percent clean metal from the float table, which boosts our revenue stream. Our site is attracting a lot of attention, particularly on social media, so we’ll continue to be very vocal when it comes to what we can do. We even encourage people to come and take a look."