What is BOPP Film and Where Is It Used?
Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) Film
BOPP is a versatile packaging material created by stretching polypropylene film in both machine and transverse directions. This process enhances its physical properties, making it a preferred choice for flexible packaging.
Key Features & Applications:
- High Clarity & Gloss: Ideal for retail packaging (e.g., food, flowers) to enhance product appeal.
- Excellent Moisture Barrier: Protects contents from moisture, perfect for snacks like chips and cookies.
- High Tensile Strength: Strong and durable, used for adhesive tapes, labels, and laminations.
- Superior Printability: Its smooth surface allows for high-quality printing for branded consumer goods.
Common Sources of BOPP Film Waste
BOPP waste streams are primarily divided into post-industrial scrap, which is clean and easy to recycle, and post-consumer waste, which presents more challenges.
Post-Industrial Sources
This is the highest quality source for recycling, typically clean and uncontaminated.
- Edge trims and start-up scrap from film production.
- Defective rolls from printing and lamination processes.
- Unused stock and packaging waste from factories.
Post-Consumer Sources
This waste is often contaminated with inks, adhesives, and food residue, requiring a more robust recycling process.
- Discarded food packaging (e.g., chip bags, noodle wrappers).
- Used packing tapes and labels.
- Waste packaging film from retail stores and logistics centers.
The BOPP Recycling Process and Technology
Understanding how to recycle BOPP film efficiently requires a specialized process. A complete BOPP film pelletizing line automates these steps to produce high-quality recycled pellets.
Step 1: Shredding & Crushing
Large rolls or loose films are fed into a heavy-duty shredder or crusher, which reduces the material into small, uniform flakes for easier handling and washing.
Step 2: Washing & Separation
The flakes enter a friction washer and float-sink tank. High-speed washing removes contaminants like ink, dirt, and glue. Since BOPP floats, it is easily separated from heavier contaminants that sink.
Step 3: Dewatering & Drying
A centrifugal or screw-press dewatering machine removes most of the water. The damp flakes then pass through a thermal drying system to reduce moisture content to below 1%, crucial for high-quality pelletizing.
Step 4: Melting & Pelletizing
The clean, dry flakes are fed into a recycling extruder. The material is melted, homogenized, and filtered to remove any remaining impurities. It is then extruded and cut into uniform recycled pellets, ready for reuse.
Equipamentos Recomendados
Sistema de Pelotização de Polímero BOPP
Our integrated system is engineered to transform your BOPP film waste into high-value reusable pellets with maximum efficiency.
- High automation, low labor cost
- Energy-efficient design
- Produces uniform, high-quality pellets
- Customizable for various capacities
Applications for Recycled BOPP Pellets
High-quality recycled BOPP pellets are a valuable commodity, contributing to a circular economy and creating new revenue streams.
Producing Recycled Pellets
The primary output is standardized recycled pellets, which can be sold as a raw material to plastics manufacturers.
Injection Molded Products
Used to manufacture a wide range of non-food-grade items like pallets, buckets, crates, outdoor furniture, and automotive parts.
Manufacturing New Films
Blended with virgin material to produce new films for applications such as construction film, agricultural film, and trash bags.
Success Story: Customer Spotlight
Major Printing & Packaging Company
Desafio: A leading packaging converter was generating over 50 tons of printed BOPP film scrap per month, leading to high disposal costs and wasted resources.
Solução: We provided a complete Sistema de Pelotização de Polímero BOPP, featuring an advanced washing module for ink removal and a double-stage extruder with high-performance degassing to handle the printed material.
“This system transformed our waste management. We now recycle 100% of our BOPP scrap in-house, and the recycled pellets are high enough quality to be reused in some of our non-food packaging products. The ROI was less than 18 months.”
– Operations Director
Perguntas Frequentes (FAQ)
This is a common challenge. Our solution includes:
1. Intensive Washing: An optional hot washing tank with chemical agents can effectively remove 80-95% of surface ink.
2. Advanced Degassing: Our extruders feature a double-zone vacuum degassing system that removes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from inks and coatings, ensuring the final pellets are dense and free of air bubbles.
The price of a BOPP recycling machine varies based on capacity (e.g., 300 kg/hr, 500 kg/hr, 1000 kg/hr), the level of contamination of your input material, and the degree of automation required. For a customized and competitive quote tailored to your specific needs, please contact our engineering team.
The main differences are in material properties and processing. BOPP (a type of PP) has a density less than water, so it floats, while PET sinks. This is the basis for separation in the washing line. Additionally, BOPP film is light and fluffy, requiring a specialized force-feeder or agglomerator on the extruder to ensure stable feeding, a feature not always necessary for denser materials like ground PET bottles.
Ready to Turn Your BOPP Waste into Value?
Our experts are here to help you design the perfect recycling solution for your needs. Contact us today for a free consultation and a detailed quote on a system that will boost your efficiency and profitability.
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