PET Bottle Sorting Washing Line

The SUHUI PET bottle sorting washing line is engineered to recycle post-consumer PET bottles into high-purity flakes for use in food-grade packaging, polyester fiber, and textile applications. It integrates advanced automated sorting, multi-stage hot washing, and precision drying technologies to efficiently process mixed, contaminated PET bottle bales.

The system systematically eliminates all major contaminant types — including sleeve labels, PP/PE caps, adhesives, organic residues, non-PET plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, PVC bottles, and glass — to produce clean PET flakes that meet FDA and EU food-contact recycled material standards. The washing line supports input capacities from 500 to 3,000 kg/h, making it suitable for small recycling facilities through to industrial-scale bottle-to-bottle recycling operations.

SUHUI’s closed-loop water recycling system minimizes fresh water consumption and wastewater output, while automated optical sorting at both the bottle and flake stages ensures the highest output purity and color segregation.

Key Features of SUHUI PET Bottle Sorting Washing Line

• Dual-Stage Optical Sorting: Bottle-level optical sorting before crushing rejects non-PET bottles (including PVC and colored PET); flake-level optical sorting after drying separates clear, light blue, and green PET flakes for maximum output value.
• Eddy Current & Magnetic Metal Removal: A magnetic drum removes ferrous metals, while an eddy current separator removes non-ferrous metals such as aluminum caps and foil — protecting downstream equipment and ensuring flake purity.
• Label & Cap Removal System: Dedicated label removal crushers and friction washers mechanically detach sleeve labels and foil labels, eliminating residual PP/PE cap fragments before washing.
• Dual Hot Washing Stages: Sequential high-speed hot washer and low-speed hot washer at 80–90°C with alkaline solution progressively dissolve adhesives, oils, and organic residues from flake surfaces.
• Float-Sink Separation: Water density separation tanks efficiently separate PET flakes (which sink) from lighter contaminants including PP/PE labels, caps, and film fragments.
• Zig-Zag Air Separator: After centrifugal dewatering, a zig-zag air separator removes any residual light label fragments and film from PET flakes before optical sorting.
• High-Speed Centrifugal Dehydration: Centrifugal dryers reduce flake moisture content before the thermal drying stage, improving drying efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
• Thermal Drying System: Hot air drying reduces final moisture to below 1%, producing dry PET flakes ready for direct pelletizing, fiber spinning, or food-grade reprocessing.
• Food-Grade Compliance: System design and process parameters meet FDA (USA) and EU 10/2011 standards for recycled PET used in food-contact packaging applications.
• Closed-Loop Water Recycling: Integrated water filtration and recirculation minimizes fresh water consumption and reduces wastewater discharge volume.
• Full Stainless Steel Construction: All material-contact components are manufactured from SUS304 stainless steel for corrosion resistance, hygiene compliance, and long service life.
• Certified to International Standards: CE, ISO9001:2008, QS, and GMP certified — meeting the compliance requirements of European and international buyers.

PET Bottle Sorting Washing Line — Technical Data

Exact configuration depends on feedstock contamination level, facility layout, and downstream application. Contact SUHUI for a customized technical proposal.

PET Bottle Sorting and Washing Process Workflow

1. Bale Breaking & Trommel Screening: PET bottle bales are broken open and fed through a trommel drum screen that removes small debris, dirt, and loose contaminants before the main sorting area.
2. Pre-Sorting & Metal Removal: Bottles pass over a magnetic drum to remove ferrous metals (bottle caps, wire) and through an eddy current separator to remove non-ferrous metals (aluminum caps, foil). Non-PET materials including glass, PVC bottles, and oversized contaminants are removed at the manual sorting station.
3. Bottle Optical Sorting: Whole bottles pass through a high-speed optical sorting machine that detects and ejects PVC bottles, non-PET plastics, and heavily colored bottles — before any crushing takes place — to prevent flake-level contamination.
4. Label Removal: Bottles pass through a high-speed label removal unit that mechanically strips sleeve labels and foil labels before shredding, preventing label adhesive contamination of flakes.
5. Crushing & Granulating: PET bottles are shredded and granulated into uniform 10–15 mm flakes using high-speed crushers.
6. Pre-Washing: Flakes are rinsed with ambient-temperature water in a pre-wash tank to remove loose dirt, dust, residual beverages, and surface debris.
7. Dual-Stage Hot Alkaline Washing: Flakes pass through a high-speed hot washer followed by a low-speed hot washer (80–90°C) with alkaline solution. The high-speed stage provides intensive mechanical scrubbing; the low-speed stage allows extended chemical contact time for thorough dissolution of adhesive residues, oils, and organic contamination.
8. Friction Washing: High-speed friction scrubbers further polish flake surfaces, removing any remaining embedded contaminants and label adhesive traces.
9. Float-Sink Separation: Flakes pass through multiple water separation tanks where PET (density >1 g/cm³) sinks and is collected, while lighter PP/PE film and label fragments float and are skimmed off.
10. Rinsing & Centrifugal Dewatering: Clean PET flakes are thoroughly rinsed with fresh water to remove residual chemicals, then centrifugally dewatered to reduce surface moisture.
11. Zig-Zag Air Separation: After centrifugal dewatering, flakes pass through a zig-zag air separator that removes residual light label fragments and film pieces using an upward airflow column.
12. Flakes Optical Color Sorting: Dry flakes pass through optical sorting machines that use sensors and precision air jets to separate clear, light blue, and green PET flakes into distinct output streams, while ejecting any remaining colored or opaque contaminants.
13. Thermal Drying & Packaging: A hot air drying system reduces final moisture to below 1%. Clean, sorted PET flakes are conveyed to storage silos or bagged for sale or downstream pelletizing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of PET waste can the SUHUI PET bottle sorting washing line process?

The line is designed to process post-consumer PET bottle bales containing mixed colors, sleeve labels, PP/PE caps, adhesive residues, organic contamination (e.g., beverage residues), and non-PET contaminants including PVC bottles, metal fragments, and glass. The sorting and washing system systematically eliminates all major contaminant types through automated pre-sorting, mechanical label removal, multi-stage hot washing, and optical color sorting to produce clean, food-grade PET flakes.

What output quality standards does the line meet?

The SUHUI PET bottle sorting washing line is designed to produce recycled PET flakes that meet FDA (USA) and EU 10/2011 standards for recycled PET used in food-contact packaging applications. The multi-stage hot alkaline washing process, friction scrubbing, and final moisture control to below 1% ensure output flakes meet the purity requirements for bottle-to-bottle recycling, food-grade packaging film, polyester fiber spinning, and textile applications.

How does the optical color sorting system work?

The line uses two independent optical sorting stages. The first sorts whole bottles before crushing — detecting and ejecting PVC bottles and non-PET plastics to prevent flake-level contamination. The second sorts flakes after thermal drying — separating clear, light blue, and green PET flakes into distinct output streams using optical sensors and precision air jets, while ejecting any remaining colored or opaque contaminants. This dual-stage approach maximizes both process reliability and output flake value.

What input capacity options are available?

The SUHUI PET bottle sorting washing line is available in four standard configurations: PET500 (500 kg/h), PET1000 (1,000 kg/h), PET2000 (2,000 kg/h), and PET3000 (3,000 kg/h). Required space ranges from 700 m² to 1,500 m², with installation power from 220 kW to 590 kW. Contact SUHUI for capacity recommendations based on your feedstock volume, contamination level, and facility footprint.

How does the line remove labels and PP/PE caps from PET bottles?

Bottles are first passed through a high-speed label removal unit that mechanically strips sleeve and foil labels before shredding — preventing label adhesive from contaminating flakes. After crushing, the resulting flakes pass through friction washers that dislodge residual label adhesive and cap fragments. A float-sink water separation tank then exploits density differences: PET flakes (density >1 g/cm³) sink and are collected, while lighter PP/PE label and cap fragments float to the surface and are skimmed off. A downstream zig-zag air separator removes any remaining light label fragments after dewatering.

Does the washing line include a water recycling system?

Yes. The line integrates a closed-loop water filtration and recirculation system that treats and reuses process water throughout all washing stages — pre-wash, hot alkaline wash, friction washing, and rinsing. This minimizes fresh water consumption and reduces wastewater discharge volume, lowering operating costs and supporting compliance with environmental regulations. All material-contact components are manufactured from SUS304 stainless steel for corrosion resistance and hygiene compliance.