BHS Develops PET Purification System for Unifi’s New Plastics Recycling Facility

Unifi Manufacturing, Inc., a producer of multi-filament polyester and nylon textured yarns and related raw materials, celebrated the grand opening of its new Reidsville, N.C.-based REPREVE Bottle Processing Center on September 7, 2016.

For the new facility, Eugene, Ore.-based Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) designed, manufactured and installed a front-end polyethylene terephthalate (PET) purification system, which features screen, air and optical separation technologies from BHS, National Recovery Technologies (NRT) and Nihot. The system, which features nine NRT optical units with In-Flight Sorting, is capable of processing more than 22,000 lbs. of plastic container bales per hour.

 “Our latest technology is at work for Unifi, including In-Flight Sorting and PET Boost, maximizing the recovery and reuse of clear PET to create REPREVE products and capturing other plastic commodities,” said NRT President Matthias Erdmannsdoerfer in a press release. “The new REPREVE Bottle Processing Center is great for the recycling industry, and Unifi should be commended for its forward-thinking leadership. The company is committed to innovation, in this system and with its business model, and provides a strong domestic source to help drive a circular economy.”