Safety assessment of the process Duy Tan Plastic Recycling, based on the Starlinger iV+ technology, used to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials. (8th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lambré, Claude; Barat Baviera, José Manuel; Bolognesi, Claudia; Chesson, Andrew; Cocconcelli, Pier Sandro; Crebelli, Riccardo; Gott, David Michael; Grob, Konrad; Mengelers, Marcel; Mortensen, Alicja; Rivière, Gilles; Steffensen, Inger‐Lise; Tlustos, Christina; Van Loveren, Henk; Vernis, Laurence; Zorn, Holger; Dudler, Vincent; Milana, Maria Rosaria; Papaspyrides, Constantine; Tavares Poças, Maria de Fátima; Marano, Remigio; Lampi, Evgenia
• Is Part Of: EFSA journal. Volume 20:Number 12(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-12-08
• Subjects: Starlinger iV+ -- Duy Tan Plastic Recycling Co. Ltd. -- food contact materials -- plastic -- poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) -- recycling process; Food -- Europe -- Safety measures -- Periodicals; Food Safety; Food -- Safety measures; Europe; Periodicals; Periodicals; Fulltext; Government Publications, International; Internet Resources; Periodicals; Periodicals; 363.19209405
• DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7671
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1831-4732

Abstract

Abstract: The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Duy Tan Plastic Recycling (EU register number RECYC264), which uses the Starlinger iV+ technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post‐consumer PET containers, with no more than 5% PET from non‐food consumer applications. The flakes are dried and crystallised in a first reactor, then extruded into pellets. These pellets are crystallised, preheated and treated in a solid‐state polycondensation (SSP) reactor. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the drying and crystallisation (step 2), extrusion and crystallisation (step 3) and SSP (step 4) are critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of these critical steps are temperature, air/PET ratio and residence time for the drying and crystallisation step, and temperature, pressure and residence time for the extrusion and crystallisation step as well as the SSP step. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not of safety concern when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs, including drinking water, for long‐term storage at room temperature, with or without hotfill. The final articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave and conventional ovens and such uses are not covered by this evaluation.