There are many metals, but because of its many uses, one in particular stands out: aluminum. Every day, each of us is in contact with aluminum. But not everyone is aware of how energy-intensive it is to extract the metal. This makes it even more important to recycle the valuable material efficiently. A challenging task that PreZero Pyral has taken on.
For joint projects between Lidl, Kaufland and the environmental service provider PreZero
intensive work has been done to produce various products with a recycled aluminum content. This has been made possible by PreZero Pyral's unique pyrolysis process for recovering recyclable materials.
By using pyrolysis to recycle aluminum, only about 5 % of the energy that would be required to produce the same amount of new aluminum is needed. Thus, Pyral recycles more than 60 % of all aluminum-containing light packaging in Germany every year to recover single-variety aluminum products.
The path of aluminium
1. Waste disposal
Consumers in Germany dispose of packaging containing aluminum in the yellow bag or yellow garbage can. This includes, for example, coffee capsules, screw caps or pet food trays. Other products such as pans are usually disposed of at recycling centers.
2. Collection
Disposal companies such as PreZero collect packaging and other recyclables through the EPR system in Germany.
3. Sorting
In a sorting plant for light packaging, PreZero separates the aluminum from the other recyclables.
4. Aluminum recycling through pyrolysis
The most important step in the process: after crushing, the delivered material is recycled into pure aluminum by pyrolysis at PreZero Pyral. A laser-based sorting process then enables the material to be melted down into a homogeneous recyclable material
5. Production of new aluminum products
Partners of the Schwarz Group manufacture new products from the aluminum. These can be, for example, new packaging such as coffee capsules, pet food trays or aerosol cans, which are then filled. But other items such as pans are also produced from recycled aluminum.
6. Retail sale
Kaufland and Lidl sell the products in retail stores and thus return the recycled packaging material to where it was originally disposed of – to private households.
Unique in the world – the
recycling process of PreZero Pyral
Whether it's barbecue trays, coffee capsules, spray deodorant cans or the lid of a yogurt cup – PreZero sorts packaging with aluminum content from private household packaging waste every day to give it a new life. PreZero Pyral then recovers the aluminum contained in the waste using a pyrolysis process that is unique in the world. This makes PreZero Pyral a pioneer in the recycling of aluminum in Germany.
Join the aerosol can on its way to a new life
Energy- and resource-efficient at up to 550 °C - it's possible!
The keyword is pyrolysis. At very high temperatures, the organic part is separated from the metal in the absence of air. The resulting heat is used to generate electrical energy. The recycling process developed by PreZero Pyral is thus not only very energy-saving; thanks to the special sorting process, we can also separate different aluminum alloys from each other.
Unlike conventional aluminum recycling, this guarantees a high degree of purity for the sought-after recyclable material aluminum – and it can be recycled over and over again without any loss of quality.