Apparatus and method for reprocessing plastic containers and / or plastic packaging components

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for reprocessing plastic containers and / or plastic packaging components are described. The apparatus comprises at least one cutting mill for wet shredding the containers into flakes, and connected in terms of processing a washer for wet cleaning the flakes. The washer comprises at least one tank for receiving the flakes, at least one conveying means for thoroughly mixing the flakes and transporting them through the tank, and a dispensing device arranged above the conveying means for dispensing a washing liquid to the flakes during mixing of the flakes. This enables a particularly gentle washing, thereby enabling an efficient reprocessing of the containers and packaging components, even of containers and packaging components which are relatively thin-walled and fragile.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus and method for reprocessing plastic containers and / or plastic packaging components. Background Technology

[0002] It is well known that plastic containers and / or plastic packaging components, after use, such as for filling and selling beverages or similar foods, can be processed by crushing and washing to achieve the reuse of plastics. Accordingly, the equipment used for this purpose includes at least one crushing module with a wet crusher and a friction washer, as well as a downstream washing module for pre-washing and main washing of the crushed plastic.

[0003] Wet mills, for example, pulverize materials into so-called "flakes" of appropriate size according to a preset sieve aperture specification. The water used in the wet mill dissolves impurities and circulates through the particle screen during the process, and is further processed by flotation and / or decantation as appropriate. A directly connected friction washer is typically used to separate fine particles and dirt from the flakes primarily by centrifugal separation and to pre-dry the flakes. In this case, rotating paddles propel the material approximately radially towards the screen basket at a relatively high speed. Here, the flakes impact back and forth, allowing water and fine particles to pass through the screen basket and be discharged.

[0004] Subsequently, the flakes are typically temporarily stored to ensure uniform material flow downstream. This temporary storage can be carried out while the flakes are wet, but additional drying steps and zig-separators can be used if temporary storage in a silo and / or label removal are required.

[0005] The washing module includes a pre-washer on the inlet side for mechanically cleaning the sheets by softening and rinsing away relatively coarse dirt in a continuous water loop. Here, the sheets are preheated and thoroughly mixed by a horizontal shaft with plow-shaped and disc-shaped tools, and conveyed to the outlet via a baffle plate. The relatively low-speed rotation of the shaft, combined with the axial conveying motion, generates friction, thereby peeling off labels, adhesives, and other contaminants. The pre-washer can be designed as a multi-stage structure to optimize the washing quality of the sheets by setting up independent loops for the wash water at different levels of dirt.

[0006] Then the floating and sinking components can be separated from each other.

[0007] In addition, the washing module always includes a hot washing process for deep cleaning to chemically remove impurities such as adhesives, dirt, grease, and proteins, typically using a diluted caustic soda solution with detergents and defoamers. The washing module also typically includes subsequent rinsing, sorting the sheets using flotation and sedimentation methods, drying the sheets in rotary and convection dryers, and finally sorting the washed and dried materials in a zigzag separator, where lighter components such as labels, dust, or films are removed from the heavier sheets.

[0008] The disadvantages of using the above-mentioned equipment that separates the processes into wet grinding and washing modules are that, on the one hand, the number of process units and related water circuits required for material separation, washing and drying is huge, and on the other hand, the material recovery rate is low or even cannot be effectively processed for thin-walled and / or fragile containers and packaging components, because these containers and packaging components are over-crushed and ultimately result in material loss.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need for improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The proposed task is addressed by the object of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments are primarily given in the dependent claims.

[0011] The equipment is used to reprocess raw materials in the form of waste containers and / or packaging components, the wall structures of which are primarily composed of plastic, for example, with a plastic content of at least 90%. The reprocessing here consists of pulverizing the containers or packaging components and subsequently cleaning the pulverized material.

[0012] For this purpose, the apparatus includes at least one cutting shredder for wet pulverizing container / packaging components into flakes, and a washer connected thereto for wet cleaning of the flakes. The washer includes at least one tank for receiving the flakes, at least one conveyor for thoroughly mixing the flakes and transporting them through the tank, and a dispensing device disposed above the conveyor for dispensing washing liquid to the flakes during the mixing process.

[0013] Surprisingly, it turns out that contaminants such as foreign particles and soluble components resulting from wet milling and / or raw material contamination can be removed from the flakes in a way that is both particularly protective of the material and sufficiently effective, by simultaneously and thoroughly mixing the flakes and rinsing them with water during the mixing process.

[0014] Thus, containers and packaging components with particularly thin and fragile wall sections can be crushed into flakes and washed in such a way that the flakes are not over-crushed and thus do not cause material loss during subsequent washing and separation, and thereby reduce the overall efficiency of the reprocessing method in an undesirable manner.

[0015] The container is or includes, for example, a beverage bottle with a wall thickness of 200µm to 3mm, and the packaging component is or includes a bowl-shaped component with a wall thickness of 100µm to 500µm, particularly each being or including a beverage bottle or bowl-shaped component made of PET.

[0016] In addition, the container can also be cup-shaped, such as a cup for containing dairy products, or other food containers. Other possible container materials include PS, PP, PE, and other plastics. The relevant wall thickness is then, for example, in the range of 200µm to 1mm.

[0017] "A washer (or such a process) connected to wet milling in terms of processing" refers to a process in which the flakes do not pass through other process units used for cleaning the flakes (especially washing the flakes), such as friction washer. This not only improves material recovery rates but also reduces instrument costs.

[0018] Therefore, the washer and the cutting crusher can be designed as a modular unit with a common media supply and / or control system, for example, by automatically supplying wastewater from the washer to the cutting crusher. In other words, the pre-washing of the washer or flakes can be integrated into the wet crushing module. This eliminates the need for pre-washing in a downstream washing module for hot / deep washing. Consequently, compared to the conventional approach of distributing the process across wet crushing and washing modules, this reduces equipment installation and operating costs.

[0019] The cutting crusher can be a process unit of a known structural type, such as the process unit described at the beginning, and therefore will not be repeated here. Advantageously, the equipment may include two cutting crushers connected in parallel, with the washer directly connected to them in the process technology as described above.

[0020] Advantageously, the washer comprises at least two washing sections connected in series, each having a circulation loop for the washing liquid used in the respective washing section. The circulation loops are preferably connected via cascading piping so that the washing sections can supply washing liquid to each other in reverse to the material flow of the sheet. The washing sections are then cascaded in reverse to the sheet flow with respect to the washing liquid flow. This means that the first cascaded section is located in the region of the last washing section, and the last cascaded section is located in the region of the first washing section.

[0021] In the final washing section, process water and / or fresh water generated externally or treated from outside the equipment can be supplied to the washer, thus ensuring optimal water quality for the entire washer. This allows the flakes to be sprayed with clean water in the first cascade section before being discharged from the washer. For this purpose, a liquid replacement rate of 0.5 l / kg to 2 l / kg is supplied to the washer via the first cascade section. This also allows for the particularly effective removal of impurities whose dirt load gradually increases against the flow of the flake material, thanks to the washing liquid.

[0022] The washing solution primarily refers to water, which may contain, for example, low-concentration alkali due to liquid entrainment during subsequent hot washing, and added additives such as detergents and defoamers. Correspondingly, the washing solution may be at least partially derived from the washing module of the sheet or process water for the hot washing process, and the temperature is, for example, 30°C to 50°C. This process water may flow into the washer, for example, from a post-washer via at least one density separator connected in series where appropriate, and from there refresh the water circuit of the at least one cutting shredder.

[0023] The throughput of the washing liquid in each washing section may be, for example, 50 m³ / h to 150 m³ / h and / or 10 l per kilogram of sheet to 50 l per kilogram of sheet. These values ​​are applicable, for example, to sheet material throughput of 2000 kg / h to 4000 kg / h (e.g., assuming a bulk density of 250 kg / m³ ± 20%).

[0024] The equipment and method described herein are applicable to processing various types of plastics commonly found in the food technology field, such as PET, PP, PE, and / or PS.

[0025] If the conveyor is designed to be horizontal, and particularly horizontally oriented, with a rotating conveyor shaft that rotates at a relatively low speed of 5 to 30 revolutions per minute during operation, then particularly gentle flake washing can be achieved. For example, at a speed of 17 revolutions per minute and a corresponding tank radius of 400 mm, the maximum circumferential speed at the tank wall is 0.7 m / s, which results in only relatively gentle friction between the flakes, thus avoiding additional pulverization of thin and fragile flakes. The tank radius can be, for example, from 200 mm to 800 mm.

[0026] Preferably, the device includes a supply line for supplying washing liquid collected in the scrubber to the at least one cutting crusher. Optionally, the supply line may branch off from a pre-storage tank integrated into the circulation loop of the feed-side washing section, and the washing liquid supply may be obtained via at least one processing section for solid-liquid separation, particularly a hydrocyclone and / or a screening machine. For this purpose, for example, a line may be routed back to the collection container or tank of the first washing section using the concept of a mechanical overflow outlet to allow for setting a suitable water quality in the first washing section.

[0027] The combination of the cutting crusher and the downstream washer can be understood as a wet crushing module integrating a pre-washing function. This is followed by a temporary storage process for the flakes, which can be carried out either in a wet state or in a dry state in a hopper (due to an additional drying step). Furthermore, a washing module for hot / deep washing of the flakes can be connected, which then operates without requiring (additional) pre-washing of the flakes. The equipment thus comprises, as a whole, at least one cutting crusher, a washer directly connected to it, and a downstream washing module.

[0028] Preferably, the washing module thus connected includes: a hot washing section for deep washing to remove adhesives, dirt, grease, proteins and similar impurities, for example, by using a diluted caustic soda solution in combination with detergent and defoamer; a processing section connected thereto for rinsing the sheets and classifying the sheets by means of flotation and sinking; at least one rotary and / or convection dryer for drying the sheets; and a separator for classifying the materials after the above washing and drying processes.

[0029] Here, the power requirement of the washer itself can be from 10kW to 30kW, the power requirement of the auxiliary drive powering the cutting crusher can be from 8kW to 35kW, and / or the unit power consumption of the washer itself can be from 0.003kWh to 0.015kWh per kilogram of raw material, and the unit power consumption of the auxiliary drive powering the cutting crusher can be from 0.008kWh to 0.025kWh per kilogram of raw material. The auxiliary drive should be understood, for example, as a pump drive and a screening machine drive, rather than the drive of the at least one cutting crusher itself.

[0030] Therefore, the entire equipment, including the at least one cutting and crushing machine and the downstream washing module, can convert electrical power for reprocessing into, for example, 300kW to 400kW, and / or the energy per unit can be 0.1kWh to 0.15kWh per kilogram of raw material. Correspondingly, the heating power is, for example, a total of 315kW to 465kW, and / or the heat demand is 0.11kWh to 0.16kWh per kilogram of raw material.

[0031] It goes without saying that the corresponding method steps can be implemented using the aforementioned device features and modules, and the device can be adapted accordingly to implement the method steps. Attached Figure Description

[0032] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a device with material flow is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0034] As shown in the figure, in order to reprocess raw materials in the form of waste plastic containers 2 and / or plastic packaging components 3, the equipment 1 includes at least one cutting crusher 4 for wet crushing the containers 2 and / or packaging components 3 into flakes 5 and a washer 6 directly connected to it in terms of processing technology for wet cleaning these flakes 5.

[0035] The washer 6 includes: a tank 7 for containing flakes 5 during washing; a conveyor 8 for thoroughly mixing the flakes 5 and transporting them from the feed side to the discharge side of the tank 7; and a dispensing device 9 disposed above the conveyor 8 for dispensing washing liquid 10 to the flakes during mixing of the flakes 5 in the tank 7. The average residence time of the flakes in the tank 7 is, for example, 5 to 15 minutes.

[0036] The washer 6 may include at least two parallel processing channels (not shown), each channel having a tank 7, a conveyor 8 and a corresponding dispensing device 9.

[0037] The detergent 10 is mainly composed of water and may be selectively mixed with and / or entrained with alkali, detergent, defoamer and / or similar additives.

[0038] In this example, the washer 6 includes three washing sections in series: a first washing section 6a located on the feed side with respect to the transport direction 5a of the sheet 5 (and thus the direction of the material flow), a second washing section 6b connected thereto, and a third washing section, or the last washing section 6c, located on the discharge side.

[0039] The third washing section 6c may have a larger flow rate of washing liquid 10 and / or a longer residence time of the sheets 5 than the first washing section 6a and the second washing section 6b, and for this purpose may be designed to be longer in the transport direction 5 (not shown). In principle, each washing section 6a, 6b, 6c may be designed individually in this respect and be different from each other accordingly.

[0040] The washing liquid 10 is collected separately below the tank 7 in each washing section 6a, 6b, 6c and circulated back to the corresponding distribution device 9. Additionally, at least two of the washing sections 6a, 6b, 6c are interconnected by a cascaded pipeline 11 to supply washing liquid 10 to each other in a partially reverse direction to the material flow of the sheet 5, wherein the overall flow direction 11a of the cascaded washing liquid is opposite to the transport direction 5a of the sheet 5.

[0041] Here, the third or final washing section 6c forms the first cascade section, which is supplied with externally supplied process water 12 and / or fresh water. The washing liquid 10 is thus continuously renewed by the process water 12 and / or fresh water. Correspondingly, the supplied process water 12 and / or fresh water has a superior quality to the washing liquid 10 circulating within the scrubber 6. The first washing section 6a on the feed side and the intermediate second washing section 6b are then partially supplied with the washing liquid 10 collected in the respective downstream (along the transport direction 5a) connected washing sections 6b and 6c. Correspondingly, the dirt load of the washing liquid 10 gradually increases from the third washing section 6c on the discharge side to the first washing section 6a on the feed side, which thus forms the final cascade section.

[0042] The diagram also schematically shows that the washing liquid 10 collected in the first washing section 6a on the feed side can be used to supply water to the cutting crusher 4. This allows for a particularly efficient water supply to both the cutting crusher 4 and the washer 6, based on the concept of a jointly formed wet crushing module. This efficient water supply is also feasible for two cutting crushers 4 operating in parallel or for at least one cutting crusher 4 to be in standby mode.

[0043] For this purpose, the washing liquid 10 collected in the first washing section 6a can be supplied to the hydrocyclone 13. A portion of the washing liquid 10, after cleaning there, i.e., the filtered upflow, can be returned to the first washing section 6a for distribution onto the sheet 5. The second portion of the washing liquid 10 supplied to the hydrocyclone 13, i.e., the thick underflow, can be supplied to the pre-storage tank 15 via the screening machine 14 and / or another processing device for solid-liquid separation (for the purpose of removing contaminants from the process). This pre-storage tank serves as a storage tank for the cutting crusher 4 and / or the water supply to the first washing section 6a. Supplementally or alternatively, a mechanical overflow port for draining excess liquid from the pre-storage tank 15 is feasible.

[0044] It goes without saying that there are suitable pumps for conveying the washing liquid 10, which can be omitted for the sake of simplifying the illustration.

[0045] As further schematically shown in the accompanying drawings, the transport device 8 includes a motor-driven shaft 8a, which is horizontal and preferably horizontally oriented, extending into all washing zones 6a, 6b, 6c. Conveying devices 8b, 8c, 8d are arranged on the shaft 8a and rotate therewith.

[0046] For example, the conveying tool 8a has a plowshare-like structure. These conveying tools are mainly responsible for moving the sheet 5 along the transport direction 5a, that is, moving it basically axially relative to the axis 8a. This generally enables the sheet 5 to form a spiral transport trajectory while achieving individual separation and thorough mixing.

[0047] The conveying tool 8b is, for example, a so-called disc tool, which also separates and mixes the flakes 5 individually and cleans the screen surface 7a designed on the tank 7 by guiding the flakes 5 along the screen surface 7a and thereby enabling the tank 7 to achieve a self-cleaning effect during operation.

[0048] The conveying tool 8d is, for example, a drive unit arranged at the end of the discharge side (along the transport direction 5a) of the shaft 8a, which is responsible for unloading the material of the sheet 5 from the washer 6.

[0049] The tank 7 is designed as a sieve basket, at least in its lower region, with a sieve aperture size of, for example, 2 mm for its sieve surface 7a. In contrast, the sieve aperture size can be increased, for example, to 3 mm, in the first washing section 6a. This type of sieve surface 7a is suitable for retaining the sheet 5, while the washing liquid 10 distributed in the corresponding washing zones 6a, 6b, and 6c can flow out of the tank 7 after contacting the sheet 5.

[0050] The figure schematically shows that the dispensing device 9 can be designed as an overflow device 9a with baffles, from which the washing liquid 10 flows down to the sheet 5 in a manner known in principle.

[0051] In addition, each overflow device 9a may be followed by a draining zone 16 in which the sheet 5 can drain before entering its respective subsequent washing zones 6b, 6c or before the final rinse, so as to improve the efficiency of the washing process.

[0052] The distribution device 9 may include at least one spray pipe 9b or similar device spanning the transport direction 5 at the discharge port of the last washing section 6c, from which the sheet 5 is sprayed with process water 12 or fresh water of suitable quality just before it is discharged from the washer 6. The spray pipe 9b then forms the first cascade section. In other words, the best water quality available in the washer 6 is used directly for the final rinsing of the sheet 5 before the material outlet of the washer 6.

[0053] Each of the washing sections 6a, 6b, and 6c includes a collection container 17a, 17b, or 17c in the area below the at least one tank 7 for collecting the washing liquid 10 distributed in each of the washing sections 6a, 6b, and 6c. The collection containers 17a, 17b, and 17c are connected to circulation loops 18a, 18b, and 18c, in which the washing liquid 10 circulates within the respective washing sections 6a, 6b, and 6c.

[0054] The cascaded pipeline 11 can be branched off from the circulation loops 18b and 18c of the second washing section 6b and the third washing section 6c, and then connected, for example, via mechanically controllable, in principle known structural adjustment mechanisms 19b and 19c, to the respective collection containers 17a and 17b of the upstream washing sections 6a and 6b with respect to the material flow.

[0055] As illustrated by example, the collection container 17a of the first washing section 6a may correspond to two independent circulation loops 18a, 19a (including 15a) to both supply the washing liquid 10 to the cutting crusher 4 via the hydrocyclone 13 and / or the screener 14 and to return it back to the first washing section 6a.

[0056] For example, the circulation loop (pipeline) 19a can simply serve as a mechanical overflow outlet to guide water back into the collection container (storage tank) 17a, because the water quality in the circulation loop 18a used for spraying the flakes 5 is generally better than the water quality after the screening machine 14. The water supply device 19b for the cutting crusher 4 can be supplied, for example, by a pump for each cutting crusher 4. Here, the overflow outlet can also be used to prevent the pre-storage tank 15 from being emptied.

[0057] In principle, it is also conceivable to perform other or additional processing procedures in at least one of the collection containers 17a, 17b, and 17c, for example, in cases where the flakes 5 are relatively heavily contaminated. Alternatively or supplementarily, these contaminants can be removed from the washing process, for example, by means of a rotary drum screen, flotation, and / or similar processing steps for solid-liquid separation.

[0058] Hydrocyclone 13 is used to separate settling materials, such as sand particles with a diameter of 50 µm or larger. The underflow from hydrocyclone 13 (with the support of a pump where appropriate) preferably flows to screening machine 14, in which these solids are separated from the washing liquid 10. In this way, screening machine 14 can remove impurities from the washing liquid 10 and thus from the washing process or equipment 1. The quality of the water flowing up from hydrocyclone 13 is generally better than the quality of the water in the washing liquid 10 circulating in the first washing section 6a, and therefore can be advantageously distributed to the sheet 5 located in the first washing zone 6a.

[0059] After being cleaned in the screening machine 14, the underflow from the hydrocyclone 13 can be introduced into the pre-storage tank 15 as washing liquid 10. Optionally, this tank is used to supply washing liquid 10 to the cutting crusher 4 via the supply line 19b, or, where appropriate, to at least two cutting crushers 4. Excess washing liquid 10 can be returned from the pre-storage tank 15 to the first washing section 6a.

[0060] The washer 6 may have two parallel troughs 7 (not shown) with corresponding conveyor belts 8, which also extend through all existing washing zones 6a, 6b, 6c. The shaft 8a of the conveyor belts 8 may then rotate in opposite directions (in pairs). The device 1 may include at least two cutting crushers 4 (not shown), which preferably each correspond to one of the parallel troughs 7. However, for these cutting crushers, each washing section 6a, 6b, 6c requires only a shared water supply device with washing liquid 10 circulation and cascading functions, so that the at least one cutting crusher 4 and the washer 6 can be combined into a single device module in a multi-channel implementation where appropriate, which is particularly efficient and flexible in terms of water supply.

[0061] Furthermore, the number of process units required to achieve the desired overall cleaning effect is minimized, and particularly gentle cleaning of relatively thin and fragile sheets 5 is possible, thereby enabling resource-saving (e.g., electricity, operating media, and / or maintenance) and highly efficient material recovery during reprocessing. The apparatus / method can then be connected to known process units or processes for temporary storage, hot / deep washing, drying, and sorting of the sheets, wherein the hot / deep washing then eliminates the need for additional pre-washing treatment.

[0062] Here, the device 1 includes a washing module 20 downstream of the washer 6 in the product stream of the sheet 5. The washing module may include, in a manner known in principle, a hot washing section for deep washing, for example, using a diluted caustic soda solution with detergent and defoamer; a processing section connected thereto for rinsing the sheet and classifying the sheet by means of flotation and sinking; a rotary and / or convection dryer for drying the sheet; and, for example, a zigzag separator for classifying the washed and dried sheet 5.

[0063] Using the method described, the flakes 5 can achieve a material recovery rate of 97% to 99.5% after washing in the tank 7, relative to the amount of material supplied to the cutting crusher 4 in the container 2 and / or packaging component 3. After the washing module 20, the corresponding recovery rate can be 70% to 95%.

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for reprocessing plastic containers (2) and / or plastic packaging components (3), said apparatus having at least one cutting shredder (4) for wet pulverizing said containers into flakes (5) and a washer (6) connected thereto for wet cleaning said flakes, said washer comprising: At least one tank (7) for containing the sheet; at least one conveying device (8) for thoroughly mixing the sheet and transporting it through the tank; and a dispensing device (9) arranged above the conveying device for dispensing washing liquid (10) to the sheet during the mixing process.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the washer (6) comprises at least two washing sections (6a, 6b, 6c) connected in series, each washing section having a circulation loop (18a, 18b, 18c) for washing liquid (10) used in the respective washing section, and the circulation loops are connected by at least one cascaded conduit (11) such that the washing sections can supply each other with the washing liquid in a cascaded manner opposite to the transport direction (5a) of the sheet (5) and in the opposite direction to the material flow of the sheet (5).

3. The equipment according to claim 2, wherein the throughput of the corresponding washing liquid (10) distributed by the distribution device in each washing section (6a, 6b, 6c) is 50 m³ / h to 150 m³ / h and / or 10 l per kilogram of flakes (5) to 50 l per kilogram of flakes.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the dispensing device (9) is further adapted to dispense externally supplied process water (12) and / or fresh water in the last washing section (6c) viewed along the transport direction (5a) of the sheet (5).

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveying device (8) comprises a shaft (8a) extending horizontally through the trough (7) and driven by a motor, the shaft having conveying tools (8b, 8c, 8d) arranged on the shaft for conveying the sheet (5) along the shaft and for sufficiently mixing the sheet at least in the direction of rotation of the shaft, wherein the rotational speed of the shaft is particularly 5 to 30 revolutions per minute.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the washer (6) comprises at least two washing sections (6a, 6b, 6c) connected in series, and the shaft (8a) extends through the washing section to the distribution area for distributing the wet-cleaned sheet (5) from the washer (6).

7. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a supply line (19b) for supplying washing liquid (10) collected in the scrubber (6) to the at least one cutting crusher (4), wherein the supply line (19b) branches off from a pre-storage tank (15), which is integrated in the circulation loop (18a, 15a) of the feed-side washing section (6a) and the washing liquid (10) is supplied via at least one processing section for solid-liquid separation, particularly a hydrocyclone (13) and / or a screening machine (14).

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power requirement of the washer (6) itself is 10kW to 30kW, the power requirement of the additional drive powering the cutting crusher (4) is 8kW to 35kW, and / or the unit power consumption of the washer (6) itself is 0.003kWh to 0.015kWh per kilogram of raw material, and the unit power consumption of the additional drive powering the cutting crusher (4) is 0.008kWh to 0.025kWh per kilogram of raw material.

9. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a washing module (20) disposed downstream of the washer (6), the washing module being designed at least for hot washing of the sheet (5) and particularly for rinsing and drying of the sheet, wherein the total electrical power converted in the at least one cutting crusher (4), the washer (6) and the washing module (20) for reprocessing the container (2) and / or packaging components (3) is 300 kW to 400 kW, and / or the unit energy is 0.1 kWh to 0.15 kWh per kilogram of raw material, and / or the corresponding heating power is 315 kW to 465 kW, and / or the heat demand is 0.11 kWh to 0.16 kWh per kilogram of raw material.

10. A method for reprocessing waste plastic containers (2) and / or plastic packaging components (3), particularly in the apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the containers (2) / packaging components (3) are wet-crushed into flakes (5) in a cutting crusher (4) and then washed by conveying the flakes through a tank (7) and thoroughly mixing therein, and by dispensing a washing liquid (10) of water as the main component onto the flakes (5) during the mixing of the flakes.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sheet (5) passes through at least two washing sections (6a, 6b, 6c) in series, each washing section having a circulation loop (18a, 18b, 18c) for the washing liquid (10) used in the respective washing section, and wherein the dirt load of the washing liquid gradually decreases with each washing section.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least two of the washing sections (6a, 6b, 6c) supply the washing liquid (10) to each other at least partially in the opposite direction to the material flow of the sheet (5), and the last washing section (6c) viewed along the transport direction (5a) of the sheet (5) is supplied with process water and / or fresh water generated externally, particularly in the corresponding main washer and / or post-washer.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the average residence time of the sheet (5) in the tank (7) is 5 to 15 minutes.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the material recovery rate of the flakes (5) after washing in the tank (7) is 97% to 99.5% relative to the amount of material supplied to the container (2) and / or packaging component (3) of the cutting crusher (4).

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the container (2) comprises a beverage bottle with a wall thickness of 200µm to 3mm, and the packaging component (3) comprises a bowl-shaped part with a wall thickness of 100µm to 500µm, particularly each comprising the beverage bottle or bowl-shaped part made of PET, PP and / or PS.

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