Download - Recycling PVB - ADEME
Recycling PVB
Regeneration and recovery of polyvinyl Butyral (PVB)
THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY ADEME AS PART OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY PROJECT IN THE INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE
PROGRAMME (PIA)
Duration: 2 years
Launch: January 2015
Total cost of the projet: €6.7 M
Including PIA support of: €1 M
Form of PIA funding: subsidies and refundable grants
Location: France Nord-Pas de Calais (Cambrai)
Coordinator
Context
PVB is a component of laminated glass (car windscreens, glass windows, etc.) with a
current recycling rate close to zero. Only scrap from production of this material is
presently recycled. PVB from used glazing is not recovered and accounts for tens of
thousands of tonnes of waste sent to the dumping ground yearly.
And yet, this material has interesting properties for several players of the plastic
processing industry, but unrecycled, this molecule remains inaccessible to them at a
reasonable price. Actually, virgin PVB resin is extremely expensive and limits its use for
applications with high added value, such as car windscreens or laminated glazing in
general, especially those used for construction.
Objectives Develop an innovative and industrial-scale process to regenerate the PVB molecule;
Test PVB compatibility in several plastic processing applications to complement or
replace other resins;
Develop a PVB waste recovery industry;
Help to improve the recycling rate of scrapped vehicles.
Implementation
The project is broken down into two key components:
Firstly, industrialise the process in an industrial plant at Cambrai and guarantee
continuous and good quality production;
Secondly, characterise the recycled material and incorporate this material into new
products; assess PVB compatibility and evaluate the technical features of products
containing this material .
PVB chips from windscreen containing impurities
WASTE AND
INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
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ADEME is a public agency reporting to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Expected results
Savings
By converting a local resource into raw material, the
project will help to reduce reliance on imported raw
materials and generate industrial activity in the Cambrai
region.
The technology may be replicated in areas with huge
quantities of PVB waste.
Environment
The project will help to:
Prevent burying of noble materials like PVB;
Reduce the use of fossil fuels to produce resins by
replacing them with recycled materials;
Reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption
generated by production of virgin materials.
Social
To carry out its activities, Hainaut Plast Industry plans to
hire over 20 employees over the next two years for the
Cambrai plant.
Additionally, the company will control production of
technical materials in the region next to a mostly non-
European production of virgin material.
Applications and markets
The recycled material will be incorporated into a broad
range of products where PVB's properties of adhesion,
resistance and ductility (ability to be deformed without
breaking) will guarantee a significant advantage at an
affordable price for the customer.
Contact information
David PATE
For more information
www.ademe.fr/invest-avenir PVB recycled and packed as granules
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