expert technology for recycling PET waste into fibre and yarn
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has emerged as a preferred packaging medium internationally with large consumer product companies shifting from conventional packaging forms to PET and recycling it as part of their corporate responsibility. In India, PET demand is increasing every year and is estimated to reach 1,309.3 thousand tonnes by 2016 while recycling capacity is presently estimated at around 4,00,000 TPA, creating an attractive business opportunity.
Besides, even as the global per capita PET consumption is 2.3 kg, the corresponding figure in India is only 0.3 kg, indicating adequate room for not only PET consumption but also for recycling.
PET bottles are a serious threat to the environment because they take several years to get decomposed. PET recycling is indeed the sustainable road ahead. India is attractively placed with around 75 per cent of waste PET bottles getting collected, second only to China’s 90 per cent collection rate.
Though cotton is the main fibre consumed in India, its share in total fibre consumption showed a decline from 74 per cent in FY09 to 59 per cent in FY11. Correspondingly, the share of man-made fibre is growing and is likely to touch an estimated 45 per cent of the overall fibre consumption by FY17. This growing consumption of polyester provides a credible demand side scenario for the country’s PET recycling business.
Ganesha Ecosphere Ltd. (GESL), erstwhile Ganesh Polytex Ltd. is engaged in processing PET waste into recycled polyester staple fibre and yarn. Headquartered in Kanpur, the company turns out recycled polyester staple fibre (RPSF) and dyed yarn. Its RPSF manufacturing facilities are located in Kanpur and Rudrapur, with a cumulative production capacity of 57,600 TPA, and the dyed yarn facility is located in Kanpur with a production capacity of 3,000 TPA.
“Recently we have commenced trial production of our green field project for manufacturing spun yarn from recycled polyester staple fibre (RPSF) with an installed capacity of 25,920 spindles at Temra, Bilaspur, and an expansion project to increase the existing recycling capacity at the Kanpur unit by 9,000 TPA. We are also expanding our RPSF unit in Bilaspur”, says Mr. Shyam Sunder Sharmma, GESL Chairman and Managing Director.
Ganesha Ecosphere has a strong network of 25 raw material collection centres across India employing thousands of rag-pickers. It recycles more than 2.42 billion PET bottles annually, saving 0.3 million cubic yards of land filling space, 87 million pounds of crude oil and 65 million kg of carbon emission. In the last five years, the company has recycled more than 10 billion kg of PET bottles into polyester staple fibre with 33 to 53 per cent lower energy use than virgin fibre, coupled with lower carbon emission by around 55 per cent compared with virgin polyester fibres. It is engaged in recycling more than eight million bottles a day contributing immensely to environment protection.
Operational performance
With the increase in production and higher realisations for its value-added products in 2012-13, GESL recorded a net revenue of Rs. 43,528.93 lakhs as compared to Rs. 38,550.61 lakhs in 2011-12, registering a growth of 12.9 per cent over the previous year. Profit after tax was Rs. 2,411.98 lakhs (Rs. 2,069.88 lakhs), recording an increase of 16.5 per cent.
The rich experience of GESL’s research team has enabled it to manufacture innovative products like dope dyed recycled PSF which comes in 200 colours and shades. The company products have applications in diverse industries like fibrefill, spinning, automobiles, geo-textiles, medical, packaging, paper, textiles and various other non-woven sectors.