May 20, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Klabin, Tetra Pak, Alcoa, and TSL Ambiental announce the inauguration of a new plant for recycling aseptic long-life liquid cartons in Piracicaba, in the interior of the State of Sгo Paulo. A world pioneer, the new factory uses innovative Plasma technology, capable of completely separating the aluminum layer from the plastic layer of the packaging. This process is a revolution in current recycling methods, which up until now have only been capable of extracting the paper layer, but not the plastic bonded to the aluminum. The Plasma process is now an additional recycling option, making it possible to use three of the packaging components as raw materials in the production chain. “This new process is the result of seven years of research and development,” says Fernando von Zuben, Tetra Pak’s Environment Manager. The construction of the new plant required R$12 million in investment, which was shared by the four companies, without the use of government funds or tax incentives. The new plant is situated next to Klabin’s plant in Piracicaba, which currently recycles the paper layer of long life cartons and where Klabin has invested $2,5 million in the last 5 years. Klabin is Brazil’s largest paper recycler, capable of producing 400 thousand tons of recycled paper per year. “This investment in innovative recycling technology is another demonstration of our constant commitment to sustainable development,” says Miguel Sampol, Klabin’s general manager. The fact the new plant is situated next to Klabin’s other recycling plant contributes to cost-effectiveness – the material composed of plastic and aluminum goes straight from paper extraction to Plasma processing. The new Plasma unit is capable of processing 8 thousand tons of plastic and aluminum per year – which corresponds to 32 tons of long-life packaging. The production of pollutants during the material recovery process is nearly zero, as it is done without oxygen, with no burning, and with nearly 90% energy efficiency. The company that is to manage the operations of the new plant is TSL Engenharia Ambiental, the company that developed the Thermal Plasma technology for recovering these materials. The main purpose of the new plant is to amplify its post-consumption longlife carton recycling capacity, which will consequently affect the recycling chain, generating employment and income. “The new plant is a milestone in the long life carton recycling process. It produces a chain effect: the packaging becomes more valuable to the recycling company and automatically becomes more valuable to the one collecting the packaging, who will then try to collect more of these packages,” says Fernando von Zuben, Tetra Pak’s Environment manager. It is estimated that in the next few years, once operations have stabilized, this new technology will raise the per-ton price paid to collector coops for post-consumption long life cartons. Plasma technology The application of Plasma technology for carton recycling is the first of its kind: the system uses electrical energy to produce a plasma jet stream at 15 thousand degrees Celsius to heat the plastic and aluminum mixture. Through this process, the plastic becomes paraffin and the aluminum is entirely recovered and forms high purity ingots. Alcoa - which produces thin sheets of aluminum for long life cartons – uses the recycled aluminum to produce new sheets, closing the material cycle. The resulting paraffin is sold to Brazil’s petrochemical industry and the paper, which is extracted in the first stage of recycling, goes through the normal recycling process and becomes cardboard, like in the Klabin plant.