At the end of January, a new pilot line for the treatment of plastic waste was opened on the Ghent University campus in Kortrijk. With this so-called CLARIFY pilot installation, Ghent University is taking an important step in scaling up its recycling research: from laboratory experiment to industrial application.

Although considerable quantities of plastic are already being recycled today, the quality of the recyclate often remains a stumbling block. Contamination by inks, fragrances and additives means that recycled plastics are not always suitable for high-quality applications. In some cases, the material even ends up in the incinerator.

The new pilot line is changing this. Thanks to advanced washing and purification technologies, unwanted substances can be removed from the plastic in a targeted manner. The result: recyclate that can be reused in demanding applications such as food and cosmetics packaging, but also in interior parts for the automotive sector.

Professor Steven De Meester, recycling expert at Ghent University and affiliated with the Laboratory for Circular Process Engineering (LCPE) on Campus Kortrijk, emphasises the importance of quality: increasingly stringent targets are being set for the use of recycled materials, both in packaging and in automotive applications. This means that not only is more recycling needed, but above all recycling of significantly better quality.

The CLARIFY pilot line forms a crucial link between fundamental research and commercial roll-out. Technologies that have been developed on a laboratory scale in recent years can now be tested and refined on a larger scale.

In addition, the installation offers industrial partners access to representative quantities of recycled material. This allows companies to carry out their own processing tests and assess the quality of the recyclate under realistic conditions. This further narrows the gap between academic research and economic feasibility.