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In the Vinnolit Application Technology Center the PVC recyclates produced with the CreaSolv^® Process were intensively tested. The potential of the recyclate with regard to future applications was determined. In the picture: Dr. Andreas Winter. ©Vinnolit.

Burghausen, beginning of October 2019. Dr. Andreas Winter, application technician at Vinnolit for many years and responsible  for the Flooring application segment, explains the fundamental concept of PVC processing to his audience. “In the Henschel mixer, the various formulation components, i.e. PVC, plasticizers, stabilizers and other additives are mixed to a homogeneous compound. This compound can be further processed using various methods, depending on its composition”. Vinnolit has invited project partners to a workshop in Burghausen to show how PVC is processed and what properties a recycled PVC should have. Thus, recipes, formulations and possible applications of recycled PVC are intensively discussed; thoughts and ideas are exchanged.

“The decision to participate in a PVC recycling project may at first seem unusual for a plastics manufacturer“, says Innovation Manager Andreas Höhn, responsible for coordinating the project at Vinnolit. “But it gives us the opportunity to learn a lot about the latest developments in PVC recycling. And in addition, we can contribute to the success of the project with our expertise“. Dr. Andreas Winter adds: “In the Vinnolit Application Technology Center the PVC recyclates produced with the CreaSolv^® Process are tested and the potential of the recyclate with regard to future applications is determined. Our years of experience in PVC processing help Fraunhofer IVV to adapt the recycling process in order to produce a valuable product“.

The project has a duration of four years and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2023. “At the end of the project, we will agree with all project partners on how to proceed. But our goal is clear: we want to take the recycling of PVC a decisive step forward,” says Andreas Höhn. “The responsibility of the plastics manufacturers to contribute to a Circular Economy is increasingly coming into focus. We at Vinnolit are making our contribution to this” adds Dr. Oliver Mieden, Head of Environmental Affairs & Corporate Communications at Vinnolit. Because if at some point not only virgin PVC but also recycled PVC is compounded in the Henschel mixer, Vinnolit will have had an important role in this.