revolPET® A cycle for plastic

We developed our new revolPET® technology for high quality recycling of PET plastics. Waste PET is dissolved into its constituent monomers, which are then available to create PET with the same quality as totally new product. This monomer production method ensures complete raw material conservation as part of a circular economy concept. Turning old into new.

The technology was developed as part of a research and development project supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In close cooperation with the Institute for Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering (ICTV) at Braunschweig Technical University, a totally new approach to recycling was produced.

Positive life cycle assessment

The revolPET® technology is extremely efficient and climate-friendly. Production of the monomers terephthalic acid (TA) and ethylene glycol (MEG) allows a circular economy to be created for plastics containing PET. This saves more than 45 percent of CO2 emissions compared to production from crude oil. Continuous depolymerisation of the PET polymers is the basis for an economically self-supporting recycling solution. This makes a particularly important contribution to making raw materials from even complex compounds reusable.

Short process times

A key feature of the internationally patented revolPET® technology is continuous depolymerisation of the polyester polymer into its basic components terephthalic acid (TA) and ethylene glycol (MEG). It is based on a solid-solid reaction in a standard extruder. The exceptional aspect is the concept of direct use of the reaction energy released. In turn, this speeds up the subsequent reactions. The self-supporting system delivers process times of less than one minute. In this time, over 95 percent of the PET polymers present are broken down.

Attendant substances can also be used

A major advantage of the revolPET® method is its tolerance of other polymers or substances: they do not react and are removed from the process and processed using other methods. As a result, the revolPET® technology is able to dissolve out PET selectively from composite materials, for example. Thus, the raw and recyclable materials can be re-used, most of which currently end up being incinerated or in landfill.

The extruder is the heart of RITTEC's highly efficient plastics recycling.

Our project partners

Research is most successful when expert partners come together.

The revolPET® technology is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Plastic in the environment” scheme. Other project partners include the Institutes for Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering, and Machine Tools and Manufacturing at Braunschweig Technical University, the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, Reclay Systems GmbH, Cologne, SCHILLER Apparatebau GmbH, Essen, and VTU Engineering Deutschland GmbH, Braunschweig.

Solutions for recycling

Solutions for brand and packaging manufacturers

Solution for Brazil