Plasma power - a good deal for everyone

The world´s first Thermal Plasma recycling plant was inaugurated in May in Brazil. The plant uses plasma technology to recycle the aluminium and polyethylene layers of Tetra Pak aseptic cartons.

Plasma is an efficient way of delivering energy. The plasma is achieved by burning an inert gas, argon, in an oxygen-free chamber. Into this chamber go the combined aluminium and polyethylene layers from aseptic packages, stripped from the paper. Because of the absence of oxygen, the polyethylene is melted rather than burned; thus it runs off as paraffin, to be sold to the petrochemicals industry. The aluminium, too, is preserved at a high level of purity. Another big advantage of palsma over other systems is its efficiency: 90 percent of the energy is used. In comparison, doing the same with natural gas, the efficiency would be down at 25-30 percent, the aluminium would be contaminated and the plastic would burn.

Four-way joint venture

This world´s first plasma plant is a four-way joint venture bewteen Tetra Pak, TSL (a Brazilian company with operations in the petroleum sector), Klabin (one of Brazil´s biggest paper companies), and Alcoa (a US aluminium company). The building cost is shared between the four and it is expected that the sales of paraffin and aluminium produced by the plant will basically cover that cost in two years. So it´s good business as well. This has lead to an increased interest and attention of recycling companies outside of Brazil and another plant is under construction.

Plasma plants add value to used beverage cartons, the price paid to recycling cooperatives, which collect post-consumer packs for sale to recyclers, is expected to increase by 30 percent. That should result in m ore packs being collected and recycled. A good deal for everyone.