Secret to Higher Profits for PET Washing Plants: Optimizing Yellowed PET Flakes Control

Many PET washing plants struggle with unstable levels of yellowed PET flakes, which often fluctuate between 1,500–5,000 ppm and sometimes even exceed 8,000 ppm. To keep yellowed flakes below 2,000 ppm, these plants often sacrifice the yield of high quality clear PET bottles (3A grade)—they remove almost all bottles that might turn yellow, including barrier bottles, strongly aged bottles, strongly fluorescent bottles, weakly aged bottles, weakly fluorescent bottles, severely distorted bottles, contaminated bottles, oil containers, adhesive bottles, and recycled bottles. This creates dual pressures: unstable quality of high quality clear PET flakes and unnecessary profit loss.

In fact, the ultimate goal of controlling yellowed PET flakes is not to achieve "0 ppm"—it is to keep yellowed flakes stable and controllable while increasing the yield of high quality clear PET bottles, thereby boosting the washing plant’s profits. For PET washing plants, "0 ppm yellowed flakes" is not the target; profitability is the top priority.

How does the FASTSORT-BARRIER-FLUO (Barrier, Fluorescent & Aged 3D Optical Sorter) enhance the profitability of PET washing plants?

As a global innovation by DATABEYOND, the FASTSORT-BARRIER-FLUO integrates dual sensors: a barrier spectrum sensor and a fluorescent-aged sensor. It achieves over 98% accuracy in sorting de-labeled barrier bottles—almost all clean barrier bottles on the market can be removed. Meanwhile, it can also separate strongly aged bottles, strongly fluorescent bottles, weakly aged bottles, and weakly fluorescent bottles.

Independent barrier spectrum sensor activation: Only removes clean barrier bottles, while retaining fluorescent and aged bottles for high quality clear PET streams. The removed clean barrier bottles can be sold separately.

Independent fluorescent-aged sensor activation: Can remove strongly aged, strongly fluorescent, weakly aged, and weakly fluorescent bottles. It can also be set to only remove strongly aged and strongly fluorescent bottles, retaining weakly aged and weakly fluorescent bottles for high quality clear PET streams.

Simultaneous activation of both sensors: Removes clean barrier bottles, fluorescent bottles, and aged bottles at the same time, significantly reducing yellowed PET flake levels.

Multiple sorting modes available: Ensures yellowed PET flakes remain stable and controllable.

For plants with mature washing processes: On the premise of keeping yellowed flakes stable and within limits, weakly aged bottles, weakly fluorescent bottles, oil containers, and adhesive bottles—originally destined for normal quality blue-and-clear mixed PET streams—can be partially redirected to high quality clear PET streams, increasing the yield of 3A-grade flakes.

Data from Zhejiang Hengxin Electric Power Co., Ltd. and Henan Kuozhan Renewable Resources Co., Ltd. shows that after using DATABEYOND’s FASTSORT-BARRIER-FLUO, the yield of high quality clear PET bottles increased significantly by approximately 3%–5%. This means PET washing plants can gain an additional ＄5 to ＄8  in net profit per ton of PET flakes. Note that this additional net profit is not a fixed value—it depends on the price gap between high quality clear PET flakes and normal quality blue-and-clear mixed PET flakes.

More and more PET washing plants are choosing DATABEYOND’s FASTSORT-BARRIER-FLUO. Feel free to inquire for details!