Real post-consumer recyclate means an energy-efficient process from recycling through the melting process to the production of new packaging.

A successful meeting in Freiberg with our partners TUBEX and Neuman Aluminium.

Neuman Aluminium acts as an important partner in the field of further processing of the recycled aluminium.

The Pyralu® is liquefied in the melting furnace and the liquid aluminium is cast into a continuous strip. To obtain the desired slug thickness, the strip is first hot-pressed and then cold-pressed. The desired slug shapes are punched from the finished strip. This is followed by heat treatment in homogenising furnaces and surface treatment in the final step.

The slugs are then processed by TUBEX into new aerosol cans. We thus optimally close a value chain and achieve 100 % Real PCR® aluminium.

In this way, we jointly create transparency on the market and security for our customers and their end users.

Our mission is to recycle this packaging waste and the aluminium it contains for the production of new packaging. In Freiberg, Saxony, we process packaging waste every day, coming from the German yellow bag or the yellow garbage can. Today is a special day, because for the first time lightweight aluminium packaging from the sorting plant in Eitting is finding its way to us.

Packaged in large bales, this material first arrives in our yard and is then prepared for the pyrolysis plant.

The pyrolysis works by means of a thermal process in which organic contamination to the metals are recycled and aluminium can be separated.

The result is our Pyralu, which is used for the production of new packaging, such as hair or deodorant spray cans.

This process not only saves up to 95% energy, but also conserves our resources and the environment. For a functioning circular economy.

In November, a conference on the circular economy initiated by the TU Dresden and under the patronage of Thomas Schmidt, Saxon State Minister for Regional Development, took place for the first time: The Lausitz-Konferenz Circular Economy. On November 15, the kick-off event of the conference series “Economy meets Science” took place. Researchers, politicians and entrepreneurs met here to exchange information about current developments in and perspectives for the Saxon circular economy and resource protection. This type of event is intended to take account of the cross-societal relevance of the topic of the circular economy and the “European New Green Deal”.

https://tu-dresden.de/ing/forschung/konferenzreihe-wirtschaft-trifft-wissenschaft/lausitz-konferenz-circular-economy

In addition to speakers such as Prof. Dr. Ing. Michael Beckmann from the TU Dresden or Dr. Klaus Freytag, Lusatia Representative of the Minister President of Brandenburg and Christoph Winterhalter, Chairman of the Board (CEO) DIN e. V., we were also allowed to contribute. Markus Reissner, Managing Director of PreZero Pyral GmbH, presented the company’s circular economy processes.

PreZero PYRAL is one of the largest aluminium recyclers for aluminium-containing packaging waste in Europe. However, our economic contribution goes far beyond material recycling. At the Freiberg site, we have worked intensively on the question what should be done with the “remainder” of the

PreZero Pyral’s unique pyrolysis process offers solutions for this. The LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) process sorts the Pyralu™ produced in the pyrolysis process, according to defined alloys.

The aim, however, is to exploit even more open potential: The resulting pyrolysis gases are to be converted into short-lived hydrocarbons with hydrogen splitting or used for natural gas production. This synthetic gas can then be used for various purposes – very efficiently, however, as an energy source for further thermal processes, such as the melting of aluminium.

This closed-loop thinking is one of our trademarks. After all, such innovations not only make recycling more efficient, but also promote other environmental protection factors. By means of “circular economy”, high transport costs as well as logistics routes can increasingly be avoided. In particular, outsourcing to “favourable” foreign locations for the production of materials is minimised, and important economic sectors can be brought back to the manufacturing location Germany, in compliance with strict environmental regulations.

The thermochemical process is an addition to pyrolysis, by means of which aluminium is recycled and separated from impurities. Organic material that cannot be recycled in the process serves as the source of the pyrolysis gas – “waste” that would otherwise simply not be put to productive use.

The resulting pyrolysis gas is catalytically treated. Long-chain hydrocarbons are thereby completely split into short-chain hydrocarbons.

Traditional catalyst technologies are used to split the pyrolysis gas. In addition, we use ceramic oxygen carrier material, which means that we can dispense with an external reaction gas feed – and thus work in a CO2-neutral manner – as well as achieving an increased yield of hydrogen through the coatings of the carrier material.

The gas processed in this way is then reused in two ways:

Hydrogen splitting:

The H2 is separated by pressure swing adsorption. It can then be used in mobility as a fuel alternative, or in plastics production. By adding CO2, it can be converted into methanol (“methanol-to-olefins” (MTO)), which can be used to produce plastics without fossil fuels.

The “off-gas” produced during the pyrolysis process, on the other hand, is reused as an energy source for industrial processes, e.g. in the aluminium smelter.

“Circular economy” is our future. Not only because primary raw materials are becoming less and modern consumer behaviour must be met in the long term. But also because thinking in terms of the circular economy is more efficient and environmentally friendly. The synergetic benefits of the circular economy can be seen on many levels, in both the economic and monetary sense. That is why we strive in all our spheres of activity to exploit the full potential in the sense of the circular economy.

PreZero Pyral GmbH invests in research and development in order to get the optimum out of it. The claim of the approach presented here corresponds to the endeavour to minimize CO2 emissions, to recycle and reuse valuable secondary raw materials in an optimal way and to use by-products, such as gases, for production processes in an energy efficient way. The success of these efforts is demonstrated by awards such as the German Packaging Award 2021 in the sustainability category (for the aerosol can in cooperation with Tubex GmbH).

https://www.verpackung.org/events/deutscher-verpackungspreis-2021/auszeichnungen

PreZero Pyral GmbH, headquartered in Saxony, Germany, is one of the largest aluminium recyclers in Europe and has been working on solutions for closed-loop recycling for more than 15 years.

With a market share of 60%, PreZero Pyral is the market and technology leader for lightweight aluminium packaging in Germany.

Around 3,000 tons of waste containing aluminium from the German yellow bag end up at the recycling plant in Freiberg, Saxony, every month.

This includes empty deodorant and hairspray cans! PreZero Pyral’s mission – to put them back into circulation and provide consumers with sustainable packaging made from at least 25% recycled aluminium. This innovative recovery of valuable materials is made possible by the combination of unique plant technology.

In PreZero Pyral’s pyrolysis plant, the scrap is thermally freed from organic and other impurities and the valuable aluminium is recovered true to alloy.  This process is not only innovative, but also unique, because only aluminium that has been recycled true to alloy can be properly fed back into the cycle.

The process is independently certified and the origin of the aluminium from the German packaging collection system (yellow bag) is confirmed. The end product: 100% Ecoloop certified post-consumer recycled aluminium, which is used to make a wide variety of new product packaging. In short, a new aerosol can is created from an aerosol can.

Aluminium can be recycled almost infinitely and is 95% more efficient than conventional production, making it a climate-friendly alternative with great potential.

PreZero Pyral and a strong industry partner plan to increase the input material of a recycled product from 25% to up to 60% PCR aluminium.

Interest from manufacturers is growing, so it is certain that PCR aluminium will soon be found in numerous other product packaging.