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.
Identify the agricultural plastic stream
| Strujanje | Typical process concern | Information to record |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch film | Soil, stones, plant residue and thin torn pieces | Polymer, thickness, recovery method and dry contamination |
| Greenhouse film | Large sheets, clips, dust, UV exposure and mixed covers | Film construction, colour, service age and attachments |
| Silage film and stretch wrap | Organic residue, moisture, odour and netting | Resin, collection condition and incompatible materials |
| Irrigation pipe or tape | Rigid fittings, emitters, soil and different polymers | Product construction and whether it needs a separate line |
| Bags and twine | Woven PP, strings and product residue | Keep separate from PE film where the buyer requires it |
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.
Source collection controls process cost
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.
The FAO’s 2025 Voluntary Code of Conduct on the sustainable use and management of plastics in agriculture 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.
Test contamination on a dry basis
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:
- weigh the received sample;
- determine moisture using a documented method;
- separate polymer, soil, stones, organics, metal and other plastics;
- izvještavati svaku frakciju protiv suškog ulaza gdje je prikladno;
- zadržati fotografije i povezati rezultat s dobavljačem i datumom prikupljanja.
Ovaj pregled ulaza postavlja očekivani otpadni teret i prodajni iznos i sprečava da se voda pomiješa s reciklabilnim polimerom.
Preporučeni procesni tok
- Inspekcija i otvaranje: identificirati zabranjene terete i otvarati valjeve pod kontroliranim uvjetima.
- Suška uklanjanje: osloboditi prošireni zemljinu, kamenje i metal prije nego što uđu u vodu i rezinsko uređaje.
- Smanjivanje veličine: rezati film na stabilnu pranjuvajuću formu bez stvaranja prevelike količine finih čestica.
- Predpranje: razdvojiti teške sitne čestice i oslonjene čvrste tvari rano.
- Frakcija pranja: izmijetati površine filma i osloboditi preostali ciljani kontaminant.
- Izlijevanje i razdvajanje: upravljati kvalitetom vode i definiranim razdjelom plavac/ton.
- Mehaničko odvodnjavanje: ukloniti slobodnu i površinsku vodu uređajima prilagođenim fleksibilnim česticama.
- Gustocenje i granulisanje: pripremiti materijal za extrudiranje samo nakon što ispunjava zahtjeve ulaza.
Uklanjanje zemlje pri intenzivnom pranju
Pješčani kamen povećava izgaranje u rezacima, granulatorima, pumpama, štapovima i ekranima. Suško trebljanje, trommel ekraniranje ili drugi provjereni pred čišćenje stupanj može smanjiti teret na vodeni krug. Najbolja konfiguracija ovisi o veličini filma, vlagi i tome je li zemlja proširena ili savijena u materijal.
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.
Choose shredding and wet granulation from trials
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.
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 wet versus dry crushing guide.
Design washing around contamination, not slogans
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.
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.
Control water, sludge and polymer loss
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.
Provide safe sludge removal, dewatering and disposal. The plant’s environmental permit and discharge limits determine treatment requirements; an equipment vendor cannot set one global water-use figure.
Dewater light film before thermal drying
A centrifugal dryer, screw press or film squeezer may be used according to particle form. A stiskač plastične folije removes water and increases bulk density, improving handling into a buffer or pelletizer.
There is no universal “below 5%” 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.
Pellet quality begins before the extruder
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.
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.
Size capacity from saleable dry output
Dirty wet input is not final output. Use a mass balance from representative trials:
Required wet input = target saleable dry output ÷ dry-polymer fraction ÷ process recovery ÷ planned availability
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.
Popis za provjeru prihoda
- defined agricultural film mix and contamination sample;
- dry mass balance of polymer, soil, rejects and saleable output;
- particle size, fines, ash and remaining contamination;
- incoming and final moisture using an agreed method;
- fresh-water makeup, sludge and wastewater quality;
- complete-line electricity per accepted dry tonne;
- stoppages, wear observations and operator interventions;
- buyer qualification of flake or pellets.
Česta pitanja
Koliko je obično zemlje u poljoprivrednoj foliji?
Nema univerzalnog postotka. Variira po kulturi, metodi izvlačenja, vremenskim uvjetima, debljini filma i čuvanju. Primjerite svaki izvor i izvještaj suhi kontaminaciju.
Može se polietilenska folija direktno staviti u pelitizator?
Obično ne, kad nosi zemlju, vlagu, biljni otpad ili mješovite materijale. Prvo treba izbrisati, pravilno očistiti, odvjetriti i kvalificirati ulazni materijal.
Može jedan proces linija obraditi mulč film, staklenički film i silozno omot?
Možda u posebnim kampanjama, ali samo nakon što ispite potvrde hranjenje, pranje, sušenje i kvaliteta izlaza. Konstrukcija proizvoda i kontaminacija mogu zahtjevati različite postavke ili opremu.
Send collection data with the film sample
Provide Energycle with film types, collection method, representative contamination, wet and dry mass data, monthly supply and output specification. The PP/PE film pralna linija can then be configured around the real soil, water and yield balance.
