Case Study: High-Capacity 3000kg/h HDPE Rigid Plastic Washing Line for Grade-A Recycled Flakes

1. Project Overview 

  • Location: Central China

  • Date: December 12, 2024

  • Equipment: 3000kg/h High-Efficiency HDPE Rigid Plastic Washing Line

  • Input Material: Mixed HDPE waste from township collection centers

  • Final Application: High-Purity Sheets for Melt Granulation


2. The Challenge 

A regional recycling center was struggling with outdated equipment that could only achieve 85% purity. This led to:

  • Low Market Value: The contaminated flakes sold for much lower prices.

  • Narrow Profit Margins: High processing costs combined with low-quality output made the business unsustainable.

  • Scaling Bottleneck: They needed a much higher throughput (3 tons per hour) to handle the growing volume of local HDPE waste.


3. Ruili Machinery’s Solution

We implemented a state-of-the-art washing technology tailored for mixed rigid plastics, utilizing a 5-step optimized process:

  1. Pre-treatment: Automatic sorting and size reduction to prepare the material.

  2. Hot Alkaline Washing: Specialized high-temperature alkaline solution to dissolve stubborn organic fats and oils.

  3. High-Speed Friction Cleaning: Mechanically removing labels, glue, and surface contaminants.

  4. Flotation & Sedimentation: Advanced density separation to ensure 100% removal of non-HDPE sinkable impurities.

  5. Centrifugal Dehydration & Drying: Ensuring the final product is dry and ready for immediate extrusion.


4. Results & Performance 

After the implementation of the Ruili 3000kg/h line, the results were transformative:

  • Exceptional Purity: Cleanliness increased from 85% to 99.2%, free from oil, glue, and impurities.

  • High Recovery Rate: Successfully recovered 2.73 tons of clean flakes from every 3 tons of raw waste (91% recovery rate).

  • Optimal Moisture Control: Final moisture content was reduced to 4.8%, ideal for direct feeding into granulators.

  • Profitability Boost: The high-quality flakes now meet “Grade-A” standards, significantly increasing the client’s selling price and market competitiveness.


5. Customer Feedback 

“Ruili Machinery’s 3-ton washing line completely changed our business model. We went from struggling with low-grade flakes to producing premium material that granulators compete to buy. The stability of the 3000kg/h output is impressive, and the purity levels exceeded our highest expectations.”

General Manager, Regional Recycling Center

Request a Quote
All products are guaranteed for 12 months!