![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/plastic-issue-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAmid growing governmental efforts across Southeast Asia to reduce single-use plastics and shift toward a circular economy, the use of rPET (recycled PET) is rapidly expanding. In countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, there\u2019s increasing focus on recycling PET sheets and packaging materials to meet ESG goals and navigate tightening export regulations. The demand for a stable supply of high-quality rPET is driving policy and industrial changes across the region.<\/p>\n
However, despite the momentum, the region still faces key technical hurdles, such as underdeveloped collection infrastructure and varying levels of environmental awareness. These issues highlight the need for advanced processing solutions that can help overcome existing bottlenecks in PET recycling.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One of the major challenges in Southeast Asia\u2019s recycling process is the inconsistency in the quality of collected materials and the difficulty of handling ground flakes. PET flakes from bottles, sheets, and films typically have low bulk density and are difficult to feed into the screw, leading to feed neck issues and unstable throughput.<\/p>\n
These difficulties compromise the overall efficiency and product quality of the recycling process, representing serious technical bottlenecks across the region.<\/p>\n
In particular, PET flakes made from recycled PET sheets often have extremely low bulk density (0.04\u20130.55 g\/cm\u00b3), making it difficult for conventional twin-screw extruders to process them without feed interruptions. In addition, PET is highly prone to hydrolysis, especially in hot and humid environments, necessitating pre-drying to prevent material degradation\u2014adding cost and complexity to the line.<\/p>\n
![\"Diagram](\"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-5-1024x512.png\")
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CTE\u2019s patented HTM twin-screw compounding extruder is designed with a non-intermeshing, counter-rotating screw structure and a high-performance rear venting (devolatilization) system. This unique design delivers the following advantages:<\/p>\n
\u26ab\ufe0f Stable high throughput with low bulk density materials by minimizing feed neck risk
\n\u26ab\ufe0f Efficient degassing, reducing hydrolysis and eliminating the need for pre-drying
\n\u26ab\ufe0f Superior mixing performance while suppressing heat buildup with momentary high shear force
\n\u26ab\ufe0f Cooling from both screw and barrel, enabling low-temperature, stable extrusion<\/p>\n
![\"Diagram](\"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/HTM\u578b.png\")
<\/p>\n
Unlike conventional twin-screw extruders where screws intermesh and generate excess shear heat, the HTM’s open-channel design promotes efficient gas escape and reduces thermal degradation. This results in high-quality, uniform mixing with excellent material preservation.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/CTE-Intermesh-table-1024x512.png\")
<\/p>\n
Even with a low bulk density of 0.04 g\/cm\u00b3, the \u03c650mm HTM extruder achieves a stable throughput of 80 kg\/h\u2014proving its effectiveness with lightweight, hard-to-feed materials.<\/p>\n
As Southeast Asia moves toward more advanced rPET initiatives, CTE\u2019s HTM twin-screw extruder provides key advantages for production sites:<\/p>\n
\u26ab\ufe0f Elimination of pre-drying, reducing energy usage and simplifying operations
\n\u26ab\ufe0f Stable handling of lightweight ground materials, improving process stability
\n\u26ab\ufe0f Higher throughput and operational reliability, enhancing overall efficiency<\/p>\n
CTE also offers on-site testing and performance evaluation with the HTM extruder. If you are looking to improve your PET recycling process or explore new opportunities in circular material processing, feel free to contact us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An overview of PET sheet recycling challenges in Southeast Asia, focusing on low-bulk-density materials, feeding stability, and processing considerations.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[41,36,37,30,32],"class_list":["post-896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recycling-sustainability","tag-compounding","tag-degassing","tag-low-bulk-density","tag-recycled-materials","tag-twin-screw-extruder"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":984,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896\/revisions\/984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cte-japan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}