"LIFE EXTRUCLEAN" REMOVAL OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN POLYETHYLENE PACKAGES USING SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE (SC-CO2) IN RECYCLING PROCESS DESCRIPTION High density HDPE is a widely used material for the manufacture of containers and packaging for the transport of dangerous goods. When these containers and packaging end their function they become a hazardous waste, which must be properly managed. This contaminated HDPE can be valued by recycling, but the process requires the elimination of dangerous substances, which is carried out by a triple wash, consisting of three cleaning steps, with high consumption of water, energy and chemicals. In addition, the resulting recycled PE shows less resistance and cannot be used in applications that require high performance. This project aims to respond to these problems. OBJECTIVES Modify the traditional recycling process of high density PE, using supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) for the elimination of hazardous substances in the recycling of hazardous PE waste, totally or partially eliminating the second and second steps third of the cleaning stage, with the consequent saving of cleaning chemicals, water, energy and a reduction of spills. In addition to the environmental advantages, the quality of the recycled PE is expected to be superior to that obtained in the traditional process, so that it can also be used in one of the most demanding applications. Project Number: 21400008 Grant Agreement: LIFE13 ENV / ES / 000067 Duration: From 01/01/1900 to 30/06/2017 Coordinated at AIDIMME by: MARTÍNEZ MARTÍN, MARIA EVA R&D Line: PACKAGING SYSTEMS RESULTS OBTAINED 2015 Year: The results obtained and experiences carried out so far are the following: Establishment of the conditions of controlled PE contamination for conducting pilot decontamination experiences with sc-CO2. Design and optimization of the extrusion process for PE decontamination at pilot scale. Reduction of contaminants between 20% and 90% with respect to the initial contamination in pilot-scale experiences with sc-CO2 Deliverables:    PUBLISHED NEWS general broadcast http://www.aidima.es/aidimainforma/articulos_pdf/id_EXTR (...) http://www.aidima.es/aidimainforma/articulos_pdf/74-id_E (...) http://www.innovaspain.com/life-extruclean-el-nuevo-sist (...) http://www.aidima.es/aidimainforma/articulos_pdf/id_3_ex (...) http://www.izaro.com/contenidos/ver.php?id=es&se=3&su=31 (...) http://www.mundoplast.com/noticia/proyecto-extruclean-pa (...) RELATED URL´S AIMPLAS center website ARVET partner website Acteco partner website ENPLAST partner website Link to the LIFE Program PROJECT WEB http://www.life-extruclean.eu PARTNERS AIMPLAS-ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCH OF PLASTIC AND RELATED MATERIALS - COORDINATOR, AIDIMME - METAL-MECHANICAL, FURNITURE, WOOD, PACKAGING AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, ARVET-ASSIGNMENT OF TRANSFORMED EXPORTERS, ACTECO PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, SL, ENPLAST, SA, GRANT 138.127,00 € TARGET AUDIENCE AND IMPACT MEASUREMENT 2961 Access to the project website 0 Access to news published on own websites. Total Accesses: 2961 TRACTOR COMPANIES Thanks to its support and signature of the "declaration of participation" the project has been funded. COMPANIES DIFFUSION R&D PROJECTS They want to know first-hand the evolution of the project, and its progress to the final result. COMPANIES TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE They will implement technologies, develop strategies or look for new models based on the results.