Innovative ZS-B MEGAfeed Side Feeder Makes Plastics Recycling Significantly More Cost-Effective

With the goal of making recycling lightweight, high-volume fiber and flake recyclate far more cost-effective—and in some cases even feasible—Coperion has developed a new version of its ZS-B side feeder. By utilizing the innovative ZS-B MEGAfeed, plastic recyclates with bulk densities as low as 20 kg/m³, previously deemed difficult to process due to intake limitations and therefore not economically viable for recycling, can now be reliably fed in large quantities into Coperion’s ZSK twin-screw extruder, enabling simultaneous recycling and compounding.

The ZS-B side feeder’s innovative design enables the efficient feeding of extremely high rates of fibers and flakes, such as PA, PE, PET, and PP. As a result, the ZSK twin-screw extruder’s exceptional capacity can be fully utilized when paired with the ZS-B MEGAfeed. This setup achieves remarkably high throughput levels in both mechanical and chemical recycling processes for post-industrial and post-consumer waste materials.

Increased Throughput in Figures

With a ZSK 58 Mc18 twin-screw extruder, the significant increase in throughput—and thus the immense potential—of the new ZS-B MEGAfeed becomes immediately evident. When recycling PA fibers with a bulk density of approximately 40–50 kg/m³, conventional equipment previously achieved outputs of around 70 kg/h. However, when these PA fibers were fed into the ZSK extruder using the ZS-B MEGAfeed, throughput surged by about fourteenfold, reaching an impressive 1,000 kg/h. Similar results were observed when recycling carbon fibers, where throughput jumped from 50 kg/h to 2,500 kg/h thanks to the ZS-B MEGAfeed. Additionally, when processing PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) flakes, throughput increased from 50 kg/h to 700 kg/h, and for multilayer film flakes, it climbed from 80 kg/h to 1,300 kg/h.

Key to the Economical Recycling of a Wide Variety of Plastics

Plastics previously deemed non-recyclable are now becoming a valuable raw material thanks to the new Coperion ZS-B MEGAfeed. For instance, PCR flakes or recyclate derived from carbon fiber-reinforced plastics can now be fed into the ZSK extruder at high feed rates, enabling cost-effective recycling.

In the case of mechanical upcycling, the upstream processes required for compounding—such as compacting, melting, and agglomeration—are entirely eliminated thanks to the ZS-B MEGAfeed technology. This innovative recycling process allows flakes and fibers to be fed directly into the ZSK extruder, where they undergo melting, compounding, devolatilization, and filtration—all in a single, seamless step. As a result, both capital costs and energy consumption are significantly reduced, making the production process far more efficient. Additionally, thermal stress on the product is minimized, leading to improved recyclate quality.

Even when recycling PET, the feed rate is no longer a limiting factor. With the ZS-B MEGAfeed, PET flakes and fibers can be fed into the ZSK twin-screw extruder in large quantities—without the need for pre-drying or crystallizing—enabling highly profitable processing.

The ZS-B MEGAfeed can also handle large volumes of post-consumer waste, significantly enhancing the value of the chemical recycling process when used with the ZSKs. The ZSKs boast exceptionally high throughput rates when paired with the ZS-B MEGAfeed. As a result, preheating the recyclate using the mechanical energy generated by the twin screws becomes even more cost-effective for subsequent processing in the reactor.

Existing Coperion extruders can be retrofitted with ZS-B MEGAfeed technology to significantly broaden their range of applications and boost their throughput rates.

Marina Matta, Team Leader of Process Technology Engineering Plastics at Coperion, is excited about Coperion’s latest innovation: "We’re confident that the new ZS-B MEGAfeed will play a pioneering role in plastics recycling. In particular, plastic fibers—once considered nearly impossible to recycle due to their increasing volume from textiles—can now be processed effectively for the first time. Thanks to the ZS-B MEGAfeed, significantly more plastic waste can be recovered—and in a far more efficient way. For the plastics industry, the ZS-B MEGAfeed marks another crucial step forward on the path toward a circular economy, and we couldn’t be prouder."