{"id":16828,"date":"2025-12-23T13:14:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T12:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/?p=16828"},"modified":"2026-08-12T18:20:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T10:20:37","slug":"guia-del-proceso-de-reciclaje-de-peliculas-agricolas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/guia-del-proceso-de-reciclaje-de-peliculas-agricolas\/","title":{"rendered":"Agricultural Film Recycling: Process and Equipment Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"erm-technical-article\">\n<p>Agricultural film recycling starts in the field, not at the washer. Mulch film, greenhouse film, silage film and irrigation products can carry soil, stones, crop residue, moisture, twine and chemical residue. The amount and type of contamination determine collection economics, saleable yield, equipment wear, water treatment and the final recycled-material specification.<\/p>\n<h2>Identify the agricultural plastic stream<\/h2>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Stream<\/th>\n<th>Typical process concern<\/th>\n<th>Information to record<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Mulch film<\/td>\n<td>Soil, stones, plant residue and thin torn pieces<\/td>\n<td>Polymer, thickness, recovery method and dry contamination<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Greenhouse film<\/td>\n<td>Large sheets, clips, dust, UV exposure and mixed covers<\/td>\n<td>Film construction, colour, service age and attachments<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Silage film and stretch wrap<\/td>\n<td>Organic residue, moisture, odour and netting<\/td>\n<td>Resin, collection condition and incompatible materials<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Irrigation pipe or tape<\/td>\n<td>Rigid fittings, emitters, soil and different polymers<\/td>\n<td>Product construction and whether it needs a separate line<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bags and twine<\/td>\n<td>Woven PP, strings and product residue<\/td>\n<td>Keep separate from PE film where the buyer requires it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Do not combine these products merely because they come from one farm. A buyer may accept a defined PE film blend but reject PP twine, PVC, biodegradable film or heavily degraded material.<\/p>\n<h2>Source collection controls process cost<\/h2>\n<p>Allow film to drain and remove loose soil during retrieval where safe and permitted. Keep loads protected from unnecessary rain and separate by known product type. Baling improves transport only when it does not compact stones, metal or unknown products into an unsafe block.<\/p>\n<p>The FAO&#8217;s 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/openknowledge.fao.org\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/3dd07f18-cfe8-4255-bfa2-04379babbb7e\/content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Voluntary Code of Conduct on the sustainable use and management of plastics in agriculture<\/a> notes that soil, moisture, plant residues and hazardous substances can limit recycling. It promotes safe collection and material-specific processing rather than one universal approach.<\/p>\n<h2>Test contamination on a dry basis<\/h2>\n<p>A statement that agricultural film contains a fixed percentage of soil is not reliable across regions or seasons. Sample representative loads and separate water from dry contamination:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>weigh the received sample;<\/li>\n<li>determine moisture using a documented method;<\/li>\n<li>separate polymer, soil, stones, organics, metal and other plastics;<\/li>\n<li>report each fraction against dry input where appropriate;<\/li>\n<li>retain photographs and link the result to supplier and collection date.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This feed audit sets the expected reject load and saleable yield and prevents water from being mistaken for recyclable polymer.<\/p>\n<h2>Recommended process flow<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Inspection and opening:<\/strong> identify prohibited loads and open bales under controlled conditions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dry removal:<\/strong> release loose soil, stones and metal before they enter water and cutting equipment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Size reduction:<\/strong> cut film to a stable washable form without creating excessive fines.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prewashing:<\/strong> separate heavy grit and loosened solids early.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Friction washing:<\/strong> scrub film surfaces and release remaining target contamination.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rinsing and separation:<\/strong> manage water quality and a defined float\/sink split.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mechanical dewatering:<\/strong> remove free and surface water with equipment suited to flexible flakes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Densifying and pelletizing:<\/strong> prepare material for extrusion only after it meets feed requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Remove soil before intensive washing<\/h2>\n<p>Sand and stone increase wear in shredders, granulators, pumps, screws and screens. Dry shaking, trommel screening or another validated pre-cleaning stage can reduce the load on the water loop. The best configuration depends on film size, moisture and whether soil is loose or folded into the material.<\/p>\n<p>Measure the mass of dry rejects and inspect their polymer loss. Aggressive pre-cleaning that sends usable film out with soil may reduce saleable yield even if downstream water looks cleaner.<\/p>\n<h2>Choose shredding and wet granulation from trials<\/h2>\n<p>Light film can bridge in a hopper and wrap rotating parts. A low-speed shredder can open large sheets and bales; a granulator can provide a controlled particle size. A staged system may be justified for bulky, dirty feed.<\/p>\n<p>Wet granulation introduces water in the cutting chamber and can begin loosening contamination. It also adds a water and solids load. Compare knife wear, fines, throughput and downstream cleaning using the actual film. See the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/wet-crushing-vs-dry-crushing-in-pe-film-washing-line\/\">wet versus dry crushing guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Design washing around contamination, not slogans<\/h2>\n<p>Prewashers and sink-float tanks should remove heavy solids before high-speed friction washing where practical. Friction intensity, residence, screen openings and water quality influence cleaning. Oil or agricultural chemical residue may require a separate risk assessment and validated chemistry.<\/p>\n<p>Do not assume that washing makes unknown chemical containers or contaminated film safe. Define prohibited feed and follow local waste, wastewater and worker-protection requirements.<\/p>\n<h2>Control water, sludge and polymer loss<\/h2>\n<p>A water-recirculation system needs screens, settling or other solids removal matched to the contamination load. Reusing dirty water without control can return fines and soil to the film. Track fresh-water makeup, suspended solids, sludge mass and polymer in the sludge.<\/p>\n<p>Provide safe sludge removal, dewatering and disposal. The plant&#8217;s environmental permit and discharge limits determine treatment requirements; an equipment vendor cannot set one global water-use figure.<\/p>\n<h2>Dewater light film before thermal drying<\/h2>\n<p>A centrifugal dryer, screw press or film squeezer may be used according to particle form. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/drying-systems\/plastic-film-squeezing-machine\/\">plastic film squeezer<\/a> removes water and increases bulk density, improving handling into a buffer or pelletizer.<\/p>\n<p>There is no universal \u201cbelow 5%\u201d target. Agree final moisture, bulk density, sampling point and test method with the downstream process. Additional cooling or drying may be necessary before storage or extrusion.<\/p>\n<h2>Pellet quality begins before the extruder<\/h2>\n<p>Extrusion and melt filtration cannot correct severe polymer mixing, soil, moisture or degradation. Define allowable PE or PP blend, ash, moisture, colour, odour, melt flow and filtration with the buyer.<\/p>\n<p>UV exposure and field service can change material properties. Qualify the pellets in their intended application rather than assuming that visually clean film will reproduce virgin-material performance.<\/p>\n<h2>Size capacity from saleable dry output<\/h2>\n<p>Dirty wet input is not final output. Use a mass balance from representative trials:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Required wet input = target saleable dry output \u00f7 dry-polymer fraction \u00f7 process recovery \u00f7 planned availability<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Keep the assumptions separate. A wetter or dirtier load raises received tonnes without increasing polymer. Verify the sustained capacity of pre-cleaning, washing, water treatment, dewatering and extrusion on the same feed.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptance-test checklist<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>defined agricultural film mix and contamination sample;<\/li>\n<li>dry mass balance of polymer, soil, rejects and saleable output;<\/li>\n<li>particle size, fines, ash and remaining contamination;<\/li>\n<li>incoming and final moisture using an agreed method;<\/li>\n<li>fresh-water makeup, sludge and wastewater quality;<\/li>\n<li>complete-line electricity per accepted dry tonne;<\/li>\n<li>stoppages, wear observations and operator interventions;<\/li>\n<li>buyer qualification of flake or pellets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>How much soil is normally in agricultural film?<\/h3>\n<p>There is no universal percentage. It varies by crop, retrieval method, weather, film thickness and storage. Sample each supply stream and report dry contamination.<\/p>\n<h3>Can agricultural film go directly into a pelletizer?<\/h3>\n<p>Usually not when it carries soil, moisture, plant residue or mixed materials. It needs sorting, appropriate cleaning, dewatering and feed qualification first.<\/p>\n<h3>Can one line process mulch film, greenhouse film and silage wrap?<\/h3>\n<p>Possibly in separate campaigns, but only after trials confirm feeding, washing, drying and output quality. Product construction and contamination can require different settings or equipment.<\/p>\n<h2>Send collection data with the film sample<\/h2>\n<p>Provide Energycle with film types, collection method, representative contamination, wet and dry mass data, monthly supply and output specification. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/recycling-solutions\/pp-pe-film-regrind-washing-and-recycling-line\/\">PP\/PE film washing line<\/a> can then be configured around the real soil, water and yield balance.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much soil is normally in agricultural film?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"There is no universal percentage. It varies by crop, retrieval method, weather, film thickness and storage. Sample each supply stream and report dry contamination.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can agricultural film go directly into a pelletizer?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Usually not when it carries soil, moisture, plant residue or mixed materials. 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Product construction and contamination can require different settings or equipment.\"}}]}<\/script><br \/>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Una gu\u00eda pr\u00e1ctica para el reciclaje de pel\u00edculas agr\u00edcolas que cubre la recolecci\u00f3n de origen, contaminaci\u00f3n seca, reducci\u00f3n de tama\u00f1o, lavado, control de agua, deshidrataci\u00f3n y rendimiento vendible.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[143],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recycling-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16828"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20800,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16828\/revisions\/20800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.energycle.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16828"}],"curies":[{"name":"gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}