France-based Société Générale de Recyclage (SGR) has announced the deployment of a new analyser for post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes.

The new 4.0 analysis tool from Canadian manufacturer Eagle Vizion will allow the company to produce premium-quality recycled PET (rPET) for its customers in the food industry.

The equipment, named Flake Analyzer, is intended for the analysis of post-consumer polymers.

SGR has an annual production capacity of 12,000 tonnes of rPET for the food industry.

Dubbed CIRPET, the company’s produced rPET received a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority last year.

Integrated directly into the CIRPET production line with continuous sample analysis, Flake Analyzer is used for validating flake purity in real time.

This identification of potential contaminants enables rapid automated responses when purity levels fluctuate.

The machine simultaneously utilises infrared identification, AI, and colour identification to map the material within the rPET.

Designed to detect each particle, the scalable system quantifies the different constituents of the rPET flow at parts per million precision.

According to SGR, rPET quality will be based on a combination of the initial purity of the inbound PET flakes and the efficiency of the sorters used to purify that stream.

SGR de Chalon-sur-Saône plant manager Jean-Marc Wiencek said: “We are giving ourselves the means to strengthen our position and offer the best possible quality of rPET to our customers, and above all consistent quality.”

“This new machine helps us increase the accuracy, efficiency, and reliability of our tests.”

“The recycling sector is constantly evolving, it is important for a company like ours to equip itself with intelligent tools to obtain the most precise data and remain competitive.”