PureCycle Technologies, Inc., a U.S.-based company revolutionizing plastic recycling, has announced progress on the use of PureFive™ resin in industrial biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film trials. The latest trials were conducted by Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH, the world’s leading supplier of production lines for manufacturing a wide range of stretched films, based in Siegsdorf, Germany.

PureFive™ resin is a recycled polypropylene (PP) resin produced by PureCycle Technologies through a patented dissolution recycling process. This process removes color, odor, and other impurities from #5 plastic waste, resulting in a high-purity recycled resin suitable for various applications, including food packaging and flexible packaging like BOPP film. 

The positive Brückner trials were conducted with blends ranging from 15% to 50% PureFive™ resin from PureCycle’s commercial facility in Ironton, Ohio. The film was successfully extruded at Brückner’s German facility and performed similarly to virgin polypropylene (PP) on multiple tests. Initial stretch tests appear promising, with additional stretch testing scheduled for later this month.

PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson said, “Flexible packaging is one of the largest segments for polypropylene, and there is not a traditionally recycled material that can consistently meet the high purity demands required to make film. The early results are encouraging from the trials with Brückner, and it gives me confidence we can meet the stringent processing requirements.” Olson added, “Brückner is known as a trusted BOPP equipment manufacturer and resource for BOPP film producers, so it was critical for us to have these trials handled by their experts in Germany. We look forward to additional trials later this month.”

BOPP film has a wide range of end-use applications, including food packaging for snacks, candy and baked goods. It is also used for labeling and adhesive tape. BOPP film is popular in these applications due to its features of transparency and moisture/chemical resistance.

Olson continued, “To help expand our portfolio of products, PureCycle is committed to providing a single-pellet solution for BOPP film that can serve as a drop-in replacement for existing virgin film production.”