Pellenc ST provides Norwegian PET facility with optical sorting technology
Pellenc ST, a French machinery manufacturer, has equipped a PET container sorting facility in Skurve, Norway, with its advanced optical sorters.
The sorting facility, opened in November 2024, is a joint venture between Norwegian recycling company Infinitum and Nordic Recycling Systems. Infinitum has led Norway’s DRS since 1999.
“By combining advanced sorting technologies with AI, the plant is positioned as one of the most advanced in the industry and helps to make the economy more circular,” says Pellenc ST.
According to the machinery and equipment company, the sorting center processes more than 14,000 metric tons of PET bottles and beverage cans annually.
It features a Compact sorter that uses infrared spectroscopy to recover PET bottlers and Vision spectroscopy for color separation, achieving about 99% purity for the clear PET fraction.
Once sorted, the PET bottles and aluminum cans are sent to recycling channels for a second life.
Harald Haug, managing director at Nordic Recycling Systems, says: “In 2023, we carried out some trials in the Pellenc ST Tests Centre. The achieved performances convinced us to work together.”
The “most advanced sorting plant”
In addition to Pellenc ST’s optical system, the facility is fitted with equipment to ensure correct waste processing. For example, it includes a patented robot bag opening system with self-learning camera systems.
Moreover, the facility boasts a “unique” air transport system to ensure low operating costs and facilitate a clean environment. The plant also features a label-removing system that collects loose labels in a large bag.
Recently, Pellenc ST merged its advanced sorting technology with Polytag’s invisible UV watermark-based tracking to enhance packaging material recovery and traceability, and Tomra Recycling unveiled its X-Tract unit, which detects and separates wood waste from impurities.
