Recycling system

Abstract

To provide an efficient recycling system.SOLUTION: A circulation type recycling system includes: a filling system configured to manufacture a product by filling a content in a bottle of a predetermined type made of synthetic resin; a recovery system configured to recover only a specific object related to the product including the bottle of the predetermined type of the product in which the content has been consumed, a recycled material manufacturing system configured to manufacture recycled material by material recycling from the specific object related to the product including the recovered bottle of the predetermined type; and a bottle manufacturing system configured to manufacture the bottle of the predetermined type using the recycled material in at least a portion thereof, where the filling system is configured to manufacture the product by filling the content in the bottle of the predetermined type manufactured by the bottle manufacturing system such that the recycled material circulates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recycling system.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, containers made of synthetic resin are used in various applications. Attention has been paid to the recycling of synthetic resin in order to realize a sustainable society. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the material recycling of egg packs. An efficient recycling system for synthetic resin is required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an efficient recycling system for synthetic resin.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a recycling system includes a filling system configured to produce a product by filling a predetermined type of bottle made of synthetic resin with a content, a recovery system configured to recover only a specific object related to the product including the predetermined type of bottle of the product after the content has been consumed, a recycled material manufacturing system configured to manufacture a recycled material by material recycling from the specific object related to the product including the recovered predetermined type of bottle, and a bottle manufacturing system configured to manufacture the predetermined type of bottle using at least a part of the recycled material. The filling system is configured to produce the product by filling the predetermined type of bottle manufactured by the bottle manufacturing system with the content so that the recycled material circulates.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, an efficient recycling system for synthetic resin can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] [Overview of the Recycling System] An embodiment of the cyclic recycling system will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the cyclic recycling system 1 according to this embodiment. The cyclic recycling system 1 relates to products in containers made of synthetic resin and to the material recycling of containers made of synthetic resin. In the cyclic recycling system 1, after the contents are consumed, the container is collected, and the same type of container is manufactured from the recycled material produced from the container. By manufacturing the same type of product again using the manufactured container, the material constituting the container circulates.

[0009] The material of the container used in the cyclic recycling system 1 is synthetic resin. This synthetic resin is preferably, but not limited to, a polyester resin. This synthetic resin is, for example, polyethylene terephthalate. The recycling referred to here is intended to be mechanical recycling (physical recycling method).

[0010] Although not limited to this, as an example, a bottle-shaped container is particularly assumed. Therefore, a bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate, a so-called PET bottle, can be the target of this cyclic recycling system 1. Containers made of polyethylene terephthalate are used in large quantities and have a high effect obtained by recycling.

[0011] Although not limited to this, the container can be composed of, for example, a container body such as a bottle and a lid. Although not limited to this, in particular, the container body and the lid can be formed using the same type of synthetic resin, that is, a single material (monomaterial). The container can be formed, for example, by a bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate and a lid made of polyethylene terephthalate. Generally, the container body and the lid are often manufactured from different types of synthetic resin. On the other hand, in the collection of containers for recycling, the container body and the lid are often handled together. When the container body and the lid are manufactured from different types of synthetic resin, it is necessary to separate them in the recycling process. The use of the same type of synthetic resin for the container body and the lid has the advantage that the container body and the lid, which are often handled together, can be handled without distinction during recycling.

[0012] In the cyclic recycling system 1, the materials constituting the container are configured to circulate efficiently. Requirements for this include that only specific containers circulating in this cyclic recycling system 1 are handled, and other containers and other synthetic resins do not enter the circulation of this cyclic recycling system 1.

[0013] [Configuration example of cyclic recycling system] As shown in FIG. 1, the cyclic recycling system 1 includes a container body manufacturing system 10. The container body manufacturing system 10 is configured to manufacture a container body using a recycled material that circulates in this cyclic recycling system 1 as a material. The manufactured container body corresponds to the product distributed in this cyclic recycling system 1. The container body related to the cyclic recycling system 1 is a container body made of synthetic resin and is a predetermined type of container body related to the cyclic recycling system 1.

[0014] The container body manufacturing system 10 has various machines and the like for manufacturing a container body from the recycled material that is the material. Such machines and the like may include a plurality of machines according to the manufacturing process. The container body manufacturing system 10 may be entirely provided in one factory or the like. Also, the container body manufacturing system 10 may be dispersed and arranged in a plurality of factories according to the process or the like. For the manufacture of the container body, for example, injection blow molding including the hot parison method (1 stage) and the cold parison method (2 stages), direct blow molding, injection molding, compression molding, and other molding methods, any method of preform molding and container body molding may be used.

[0015] The recycling system 1 includes a lid manufacturing system 20. The lid manufacturing system 20 is configured to manufacture lids. The lids to be manufactured correspond to the products circulated in this recycling system 1. The lids related to the recycling system 1 are lids made of the same synthetic resin as the container body and are lids of a predetermined type related to the recycling system 1. Without being limited to this, the lid manufacturing system 20 may manufacture lids using virgin materials. Also, although not shown in FIG. 1, the lid manufacturing system 20 may mix recycled materials circulated in this recycling system 1 and, for example, virgin materials and use them to manufacture lids. Any molding method may be used for manufacturing the lids.

[0016] The recycling system 1 includes a content manufacturing system 31. The content manufacturing system 31 is configured to manufacture contents that are placed in containers and circulated in this recycling system 1 and consumed by consumers 50. The content manufacturing system 31 has a configuration corresponding to the contents to be manufactured. The contents are, for example, beverages, seasonings, etc. Also, since the materials of the containers circulate for the same type of use in the recycling system 1, the contents may be, depending on various conditions, oils, detergents, etc., and are not limited to liquids, but may also be solid substances.

[0017] The recycling system 1 includes a filling system 35. The filling system 35 is configured to fill the container body manufactured by the container body manufacturing system 10 with the contents manufactured by the content manufacturing system 31, seal it using the lid manufactured by the lid manufacturing system 20, and manufacture products.

[0018] The recycling system 1 includes a product distribution system 41. The product distribution system 41 is configured to distribute products so that the manufactured products reach the consumers 50. The product distribution system 41 may include, for example, railways, trucks, delivery vehicles, etc. and their management systems. Also, the product distribution system 41 may include retail stores and their stores, e-commerce trading systems, etc. Also, the product distribution system 41 may include a home delivery system, etc. Although the product distribution system 41 is generally composed of systems implemented with human involvement, part or all of it may be composed of systems without human involvement, such as unmanned aircraft, self-driving vehicles, robots, etc.

[0019] In the recycling system 1, the consumer 50 acquires a product via the product distribution system 41. The consumer 50 consumes the contents of the acquired product. The consumer 50 separates the container that has become empty after consuming the contents, that is, the container body and the lid. It is preferable that the consumer 50 simply washes the container body and the lid.

[0020] The recycling system 1 includes a container collection system 45. The container collection system 45 is configured to collect and transport containers so that the containers separated by the consumer 50 after consumption of the product contents reach the flake manufacturing system 60. The container collection system 45 may include, for example, railways, trucks, delivery vehicles, etc. and their management systems. Although the container collection system 45 is generally composed of systems implemented with human involvement, part or all of it may be composed of systems without human involvement, such as unmanned aircraft, self-driving vehicles, robots, etc.

[0021] In the circular recycling system 1, the container collection system 45 is configured to collect only specific items related to the products of the circular recycling system 1, such as only the containers including the container body and the lid related to this circular recycling system 1. In the circular recycling system 1, it is required that other containers or the like do not mix into this circular recycling system 1. Specific items related to the products including the containers collected by the container collection system 45 may include, for example, labels provided on the containers and other accessories. However, since these accessories are known items, unnecessary items can be appropriately removed in the subsequent recycling process.

[0022] Here, the case where the container body and the lid are formed of the same type of synthetic resin and the recycled material is manufactured using the container body and the lid is described. If the container body and the lid are manufactured of different types of synthetic resins and the recycled material is manufactured from, for example, only the container body, even if the container body and the lid are collected together as specific items by the container collection system 45, the lid will be removed as an unnecessary item in the recycling process. Alternatively, in this case, the container collection system 45 may collect only the container body or only the container body and the label around it as specific items.

[0023] The container collection system 45 is provided with a mechanism for collecting only specific items. For example, the container collection system 45 may include an empty container collection system for each household that pairs with the home delivery system of the product distribution system 41. In the empty container collection system for each household, for example, the consumer 50 puts the empty container body and the lid into the home delivery box provided in front of their home, which is provided for receiving the product in the home delivery system of the product distribution system 41. The person who is a delivery person of the product distribution system 41 and a collector of the container collection system 45 collects the container body and the lid placed in the home delivery box. The container body and the lid collected from each consumer 50 are transported to the flake manufacturing system 60 via the container collection system 45.

[0024] Alternatively, for example, the container recycling system 45 may include a dedicated container recycling box provided at a retail store. This container recycling box may be configured so that other containers or the like are not put in. For example, an identifier is attached to the container according to the present recycling system 1, and this recycling box may be configured to receive only the containers according to the present recycling system 1 by identifying them with this identifier. This recycling box may be configured to return a deposit when receiving a container. The recovered container body and lid are transported to the flake manufacturing system 60 via the container recycling system 45.

[0025] The recycling system 1 includes a flake manufacturing system 60 which is a recycling material manufacturing system. The flake manufacturing system 60 is configured to manufacture flakes of a recycling material from the containers recovered by the container recycling system 45. The flake manufacturing system 60 has various machines and the like for manufacturing flakes of a recycling material from the recovered containers. As described above, in the present recycling system 1, the containers to be recovered are limited to only specific items such as the containers according to the present recycling system 1. For this reason, the flake manufacturing system 60 has a configuration adapted thereto. The flake manufacturing system 60 has, for example, a reduced process of sorting foreign matters and a reduced process of sorting materials of different types. By such reduction of processes, the flake manufacturing system 60 realizes a high yield of the recycling material. The flakes manufactured by the flake manufacturing system 60 are sent to the container body manufacturing system 10 and used for manufacturing the container body. The container body manufacturing system 10 manufactures the above-described predetermined types of container bodies using the flakes manufactured by the flake manufacturing system 60. The container body manufacturing system 10 may manufacture the predetermined types of container bodies by adding virgin materials or the like to the flakes manufactured by the flake manufacturing system 60.

[0026] Note that the recycling material manufacturing system of the recycling type recycling system 1 may have not only the flake manufacturing system 60 but also a pellet manufacturing system for manufacturing pellets from the flakes. In this case, the container body may be manufactured from the pellets. However, pelletization increases the number of steps and consumes more energy. Therefore, in the recycling type recycling system 1, it is preferable that the container body is directly manufactured from the flakes without pelletizing the flakes.

[0027] Also, not all of the flakes manufactured by the flake manufacturing system 60 need to be used in the container body manufacturing system 10. A part of the manufactured flakes or pellets made from the flakes may be taken out of the recycling type recycling system 1 and used for other purposes.

[0028] [Regarding the recycling type recycling system] As described above, in the recycling type recycling system 1, the materials used for manufacturing the container body are recycled. Due to the ingenuity of the container recovery system 45, the containers circulating within the recycling type recycling system 1 are limited. For this reason, the steps in the flake manufacturing system 60 are reduced, and a high yield in the flake manufacturing system 60 can be obtained. As a result, a high recycling rate can be achieved for the entire recycling type recycling system 1.

[0029] In the recycling type recycling system 1, since the materials used are limited within the cycle, high quality is maintained for the manufactured containers. Also, virgin material is used for the lid, and a certain amount of this virgin material is introduced into the cycle, so high quality is maintained for the manufactured containers. That is, the quality of the recycled material may deteriorate when recycling is repeated. On the other hand, the recycling yield cannot be 100%, and a predetermined amount is lost from the recycling type recycling system 1. By introducing lids manufactured using virgin material for this lost portion, the high quality of the recycled material is maintained.

[0030] The above-described effects are particularly remarkable in the case of a container being a bottle for containing a liquid. That is, plastic bottles are widely used in large quantities for various applications due to their excellent properties. Therefore, generally, in the collection of plastic bottles for recycling, various bottles in various states are collected in a mixed state. For this reason, in the production of recycled materials, various sorts of sorting are required, resulting in a decrease in the yield of recycled materials and making it difficult to manage the quality of recycled materials. For this reason, recycled materials that have been circulated in the market conventionally have unstable quality. Attempts to improve this point mainly involve improving the accuracy of removing unnecessary substances in each process or improving the yield of each process. In contrast, the above-described circulation-type recycling system 1 is configured to collect only specific objects related to the circulation-type recycling system 1 and produce recycled materials, so that a considerable amount of easily stable and high-quality recycled materials can be obtained. Thus, the above-described circulation-type recycling system 1 is particularly effective when the container is a bottle.

[0031] In the circulation-type recycling system 1, the quality of recycled materials is managed by collecting only specific containers. Therefore, for each of the container body and the lid related to the circulation-type recycling system 1, various designs such as various processes can be carried out within a range that does not affect its recyclability. For example, for containers such as the container body and the lid, within a range that does not affect its recyclability, processes such as crystallization of the material, its foam molding, laser processing on its surface, printing, vapor deposition, printing using inkjet, etc. may be performed. Also, for example, for containers such as the container body and the lid, within a range that does not affect its recyclability, different materials may be used for the container, a multi-layer structure of two or more layers containing additives may be adopted, or a blend structure may be adopted. Also, for example, for containers such as the container body and the lid, a multi-layer structure including two or more layers with different uses or moldability, etc. may be adopted using a plurality of materials of the same type but with different characteristics, or a plurality of materials of the same type but with different characteristics may be blended and used.

[0032] [Example of home delivery of beverages] A more specific example of the circular recycling system will be described. In this example, the contents are milk, processed milk, milk beverages, lactic acid bacteria beverages, etc., and the container body is in the case of a bottle for containing such beverages. That is, in this example, the predetermined type of container means a predetermined type of bottle and a lid for containing such milk, processed milk, milk beverages, lactic acid bacteria beverages, etc. Regarding such beverages, a system in which beverages in small-sized containers are individually delivered to consumers' homes and empty bottles are collected from consumers' homes is well developed. It is known that such a collection system is utilized for, for example, the reuse of glass bottles, but such a collection system has not been utilized for the material recycling of synthetic resins.

[0033] Not limited to this, in this example, the bottle is manufactured using a recycled material of polyethylene terephthalate, and the lid is manufactured using a virgin material of polyethylene terephthalate. The reason for using the virgin material in the manufacture of the lid is, for example, as follows. The lid is required to be molded into a more complex and precise shape compared to the bottle in order to ensure openability, sealing performance, etc. In recycled materials, compared to virgin materials, the amount of oligomers generated is large, or the variation in intrinsic viscosity (IV) is large, so it is difficult to perform injection molding with high precision, and the dimensional stability tends to deteriorate. For example, short shots due to insufficient filling or cracks due to overfilling tend to occur easily. Therefore, in this example, a virgin material with higher moldability than the recycled material is used in the manufacture of the lid. Also, the top surface portion of the lid is thick. In order to ensure the transparency of the top surface portion, a virgin material with higher transparency is used in the manufacture of the lid.

[0034] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the circular recycling system 2 according to this example.

[0035] In this cyclic recycling system 2, the bottle which is the container body is manufactured by the cold parison method. That is, the cyclic recycling system 2 includes a preform manufacturing system 11 and a bottle blow molding system 12 as a bottle manufacturing system corresponding to the above-described container body manufacturing system 10.

[0036] The preform manufacturing system 11 is provided in the preform factory 120. The preform manufacturing system 11 is a system that manufactures preforms using flakes of synthetic resin which are recycled materials. The preform manufacturing system 11 may include, for example, an injection molding machine that melts the flakes and manufactures preforms by an injection molding method using the melted synthetic resin. The preforms manufactured by the preform manufacturing system 11 in the preform factory 120 are transported to the beverage factory 320.

[0037] The lid manufacturing system 20 is provided in the lid manufacturing factory 220. The lid manufacturing system 20 is a system that manufactures lids using virgin materials. The lid manufacturing system 20 may include, for example, an injection molding machine that melts the virgin synthetic resin and manufactures lids by an injection molding method using the melted synthetic resin. The lids manufactured by the lid manufacturing system 20 in the lid manufacturing factory 220 are transported to the beverage factory 320.

[0038] The beverage factory 320 is provided with a bottle blow molding system 12. The bottle blow molding system 12 manufactures bottles by blow molding in the beverage factory 320 using the preforms manufactured by the preform manufacturing system 11. The bottle blow molding system 12 may include, for example, a heating machine that heats the preforms, a biaxial stretch blow molding machine that forms bottles from the heated preforms, and the like.

[0039] The beverage factory 320 is equipped with a beverage manufacturing system 32. The beverage manufacturing system 32 manufactures beverages such as milk, processed milk, milk beverages, and lactic acid bacteria beverages. The beverage factory 320 is equipped with a beverage filling system 36. The beverage filling system 36 fills the bottles manufactured by the bottle blow molding system 12 with the beverages manufactured by the beverage manufacturing system 32 and seals them using the caps manufactured by the cap manufacturing system 20. The sealing form between the bottle and the cap may be by screw, by capping, or by other methods. The container-packed beverage products manufactured as described above are shipped. The shape of the bottle may be any shape. For example, it may be a round bottle or a square bottle. If importance is attached to the efficiency of transportation, a square bottle with a small gap between adjacent bottles when the bottles are arranged is preferable.

[0040] In this example, in the distribution of products and the like, there is an intervening retailer 420 that delivers to each household and delivers the products to the consumer 50. The products manufactured by the beverage factory 320 are transported to each retailer 420. The retailer 420 delivers the products to the consumer's home 520 by a home delivery system 42 by a delivery person or the like and delivers them to the consumer 50. The consumer 50 consumes the beverage of the received product. The consumer 50 stores the empty bottle and cap after consuming the beverage and returns the bottle and cap when the next delivery is made by the retailer 420. The retailer 420 collects the empty bottles and caps by an empty bottle collection system 46 by a delivery person or the like. That is, the retailer 420 delivers the products to the consumer's home 520 by a home delivery system 42 by a delivery person or the like and takes back the empty bottles and caps by an empty bottle collection system 46 by a delivery person or the like. In this way, the empty bottle collection system 46 in this example can collect only specific containers related to this product, such as bottles and caps, even if there is a label attached as an accessory.

[0041] For collecting only specific containers, various tools can be used. A delivery box is one such tool. The delivery box has the effect of clarifying that only the delivered product or an empty specific container can be placed inside. Further, the delivery box may be provided with a function of detecting when something other than the specific container is placed inside and notifying that it has been detected. Also, a terminal for assisting or managing the delivery of products and the collection of containers used by the delivery person may be used. This terminal can communicate with the management system. For example, if an identifier is attached to the container and the delivery person reads this identifier using the terminal, the delivery of products and the collection of containers may be managed. Even without using an identifier, analysis of the image of the container or the like may be performed. Such management ensures that collection is limited to specific containers. Also, without the involvement of the delivery person, unmanned aircraft, self-driving vehicles, robots, etc. may perform similar operations.

[0042] The returned empty bottles and caps are transported to the accumulation / washing factory 720. The empty bottles and caps are collected at the accumulation / washing factory 720 and washed by the washing system 70 provided at the accumulation / washing factory 720. Since the contents of the containers to be collected are specified, the components to be removed by washing can also be specified according to the contents. Therefore, an efficient washing method can be easily adopted in the washing system 70. Also, since the types of containers to be collected are limited, the washing system 70 can perform appropriate washing in a relatively easy way, such as aligning the bottles for washing.

[0043] In addition, when accessories such as labels and tack seals are provided on the bottle, in the cleaning system 70, these accessories such as the label may be removed. That is, the cleaning system 70 may include a label peeling and separating device. The removal of accessories such as labels may also be performed later at the recycling factory 620. By peeling the label at the accumulation / cleaning factory 720, accessories such as labels can be removed from the bottle before crushing, and the removal of accessories can be facilitated. Also, within a range where it does not affect recyclability, the container such as the bottle and the lid may be processed in the flake manufacturing system 60 in the recycling factory 620 described later with the accessories such as the label and the tack seal attached to the container. For example, when accessories such as labels and tack seals are formed of the same material as the container such as the bottle and the lid, they can be processed together in the flake manufacturing system 60 with the accessories attached to the container.

[0044] Also, when the type of the bottle is limited and specified, since only the weight of the bottle can be specified, it may be possible to remove a bottle with foreign matter, for example, by weight sorting. This sorting may also be performed later at the recycling factory 620.

[0045] The empty bottles and lids after cleaning and / or label removal are transported to the recycling factory 620.

[0046] Note that all of the processes assumed to be performed at the above-described accumulation / cleaning factory 720 may be performed at the recycling factory 620.

[0047] In this way, the home delivery system 42 of the store 420 forms a part of the product distribution system 41. Also, the empty bottle collection system 46 of the store 420 forms a part of the container collection system 45.

[0048] The recycling factory 620 includes a flake manufacturing system 60. The flake manufacturing system 60 manufactures flakes, which are recyclable materials, from the empty bottles and lids cleaned by the cleaning system 70 delivered from the accumulation / cleaning factory 720. The manufacturing of flakes will be described in detail later.

[0049] The flakes produced by the flake manufacturing system 60 are transported to the preform factory 120. These flakes are used in the production of preforms in the preform manufacturing system 11 of the preform factory 120. Note that the preform manufacturing system 11 may be provided with decontamination equipment and the like appropriately designed according to the flake manufacturing system 60, that is, according to the flakes produced by the flake manufacturing system 60.

[0050] As described above, the polyethylene terephthalate bottles circulate within the recycling system 2. For this circulation, a certain amount of caps made of virgin polyethylene terephthalate material is introduced.

[0051] [Example of Flake Manufacturing System] An example of the flake manufacturing system 60 in the recycling factory 620 of the recycling system 2 described with reference to FIG. 2 above will be described in detail.

[0052] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing in the flake manufacturing system 60. Here, the case where labels and the like have been removed from the bottles is shown, but if labels and the like have not been removed, a label removal step can be added first. Also, if the labels and the like are formed of the same material as the container and do not affect recyclability, they may be processed in the following steps together with the bottles and the like without being removed.

[0053] In step S1, the containers recovered and washed in the flake manufacturing system 60 are input. In step S2, non-ferrous metal separation by a non-ferrous metal separator is performed. In step S3, metal separation by a metal detector is performed.

[0054] In this recycling system 2, basically, only the containers related to this recycling system 2 are input into the flake manufacturing system 60. However, for example, the mixing of metals has a great impact on the machine, the quality of recycled materials, and other aspects. Therefore, as a precaution, metal sorting and the like are carried out. This can avoid any adverse effects that may occur even if there is a mistake in collecting the containers. If it can be confirmed by another method that there is no mistake in collection, non-metal sorting and metal sorting are not necessary.

[0055] In step S4, the container is roughly crushed. Further, in step S5, the roughly crushed container is finely crushed and processed into flakes. When bottles or the like are relatively thick, as shown here, it is appropriate to provide a two-stage crushing process of rough crushing and fine crushing. On the other hand, when bottles or the like are relatively thin, the rough crushing may be omitted and only a one-stage crushing process of fine crushing may be used.

[0056] In step S6, the resin derived from the finely crushed flake-like container is alkali-washed, and then, in step S7, it is dehydrated. Further, in step S8, the flake-like resin is rinsed and, in step S9, dehydrated.

[0057] In step S10, if metal is mixed in, it is removed using a magnet catcher. Thereafter, it may be confirmed using a metal detector that no metal is present.

[0058] In step S11, the flakes of the recycled material produced by the above-mentioned crushing and washing processes are stored in a flake tank. These flakes are later transported to the preform factory 120.

[0059] The above processes are just an example, and depending on various conditions such as product warranty, equipment protection, yield, product specifications, etc., additional processes, deletion of processes, change of order, etc. can be carried out.

[0060] Generally, at a recycled material factory, the collected PET bottles are carried in a bale state where they are compressed and bundled with a binding material. This bale is unpacked at the recycled material factory, and the contents and foreign substances remaining in the mixed-in bottles are removed by a punching machine or a vibrating sieve, and furthermore, unsuitable items such as labels and caps are removed manually. These processes reduce the yield of the recycled material and also increase the cost.

[0061] On the other hand, in the circular recycling system 2, only the containers related to this circular recycling system 2 are collected by the empty bottle collection system 46 of the store 420, and are washed at the accumulation / washing factory 720 and not baled. Therefore, processes such as bale unpacking, punching, vibrating sieve, and manual sorting can be omitted. For this reason, the processing is not only easy, but also the yield is increased and the cost is reduced.

[0062] In the process of manufacturing flakes of recycled materials related to general PET bottles, the PET bottles are pulverized together with the labels, and then, in order to remove the labels, air separation using an air separator is performed. On the other hand, in the flake manufacturing system 60 of the circular recycling system 2, the labels are removed before pulverization, for example, the labels are removed from the bottles by the washing system 70. In the process of removing the labels using the label peeling and separating device in the washing system 70 or the like, a considerably high bottle yield can be obtained. In the flake manufacturing system 60, since the bottles with the labels removed are pulverized, this air separation is not required. For this reason, a decrease in yield due to air separation is also avoided, and a high yield of recycled material can be obtained. For example, the powdery PET powder that would be removed together when performing air separation can also be utilized without being removed.

[0063] In addition, when the labels cannot be removed before pulverization or in necessary cases, although the yield will decrease, air separation may be performed in the flake manufacturing system 60. Even in this case, for example, when the bottles are relatively thick like conventional milk bottles, for example, when the thickness is 0.2 mm or more, the yield of the PET material in the air separation is relatively high.

[0064] In the process of manufacturing flakes of recycled materials for general PET bottles, flakes derived from lids made of polypropylene or polyethylene are mixed into the flakes derived from PET bottles. Therefore, a specific gravity separation process is performed to obtain only the PET resin. On the other hand, in the flake manufacturing system 60 of the circulation type recycling system 2, only PET bottles and PET lids are processed, so this specific gravity separation process is not necessary. For this reason, a decrease in the yield due to specific gravity separation is also avoided, and a high yield of recycled materials can be obtained.

[0065] As described above, due to the limitation of the containers input into the flake manufacturing system 60 by the empty bottle collection system 46 of the circulation type recycling system 2, many of the processes required in the process of manufacturing flakes of recycled materials for general PET bottles can be excluded. By excluding many processes, a high yield of recycled materials can be obtained as a whole. The excluded processes can be appropriately designed according to various conditions.

[0066] In addition, by reducing the number of processes, energy can be saved, and the effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions can also be obtained. Not only the reduction of processes, but also the reduction of energy consumption in each process becomes possible. For example, in the grinding process, the energy input for grinding can be adjusted to the necessary and sufficient amount according to the grinding of the container, and the reduction of energy consumption becomes possible.

[0067] In addition, since the input containers are limited, it can be expected that the deterioration of the cleaning liquid, etc. will be suppressed compared to general cases. Also, since the types of containers are limited and the sizes and shapes of the containers are limited, the degree of freedom in the design of the machines used in the conveying process and the grinding process is increased.

[0068] [Regarding the recycling rate of the circulation type recycling system] The recycling rate of the circulation type recycling system will be described with reference to Fig. 4.

[0069] For example, assume that a 20 g container is composed of an 18 g container body and a 2 g lid. That is, the weight ratio of the container is such that the proportion of the container body is 90% and the proportion of the lid is 10%. Suppose such a container is recycled and processed in the flake manufacturing system 60 of the recycling factory 620 to produce flakes as recycled materials. Assume that the yield of the flake manufacturing system 60 at this time is 90%. In this case, the flakes obtained from one container will be 18 g. Considering using this for the production of one container body, in this circular recycling system, the container body can be manufactured only from recycled materials. By manufacturing the lid using virgin materials, this circular recycling system can be circulated in a state limited only to the materials related to the container. The above ratios are considered reasonable values for implementation.

[0070] When the yield of the flake manufacturing system 60 is lower, by adding virgin materials to the container body, a circular recycling system with circulation limited only to the materials related to the container can be realized. Also, when the proportion of the lid in the container is low, by adding virgin materials to the container body, a circular recycling system with circulation limited only to the materials related to the container can be realized.

[0071] Conversely, when the yield of the flake manufacturing system 60 is higher or when the proportion of the lid in the container is high, the flakes of the recycled materials obtained in the flake manufacturing system 60 can be taken out of the circular recycling system and the flakes can be used for other purposes.

[0072] According to conditions such as formability, virgin materials may be added to and adjusted in the material of the container body, or recycled materials may be added to and adjusted in the material of the lid. However, manufacturing the lid only from virgin materials has the advantage that there is no need to provide a blending process of virgin materials and recycled materials in the lid manufacturing process.

[0073] The yield of the flake manufacturing system 60 can be, for example, 80 - 95%. The ratio of the lid in the container can be, for example, 5 - 20%. The ratio of the container body in the container can be, for example, 95 - 80%. In such a situation, the ratio of the virgin material used for the container body can be adjusted, or the flakes of the recycled material can be taken out of the closed-loop recycling system and appropriately adjusted.

[0074] Regarding the above-mentioned virgin material, instead of or in addition to the virgin material, a material equivalent to the virgin material such as a recycled material by chemical recycling (chemical recycling method) may be used. Also, a material equivalent to the virgin material such as a recycled material by biorecycling may be used.

[0075] [Regarding the arrangement of each system] In the above example, an example where the beverage factory 320, the accumulation / washing factory 720, the recycling factory 620, and the preform factory 120 are all separate factories is shown, but it is not limited to this. A plurality of the systems provided in these may be provided within one factory. For example, the preform manufacturing system 11 may be provided within the beverage factory 320, or in addition to the preform manufacturing system 11, the flake manufacturing system 60 may also be provided in the beverage factory 320. Also, the washing system 70 may be provided in the beverage factory 320. Further, some or all of the preform manufacturing system 11, the flake manufacturing system 60, and the washing system 70 may be provided within one factory.

[0076] Although the description has been given by taking a cyclic recycling system as an example, some of the above-described various advantages can be obtained not only in the cyclic type. For example, if a container recovery system can recover only specific items, it becomes possible to reduce the processes in the subsequent recycled material manufacturing system and also improve the yield. Further, since the characteristics of the recovered containers input into the recycling process are known, quality control of the recycled materials and the like also become easy. Further, since the containers to be recovered are a container body manufactured using a recycled material and a lid manufactured using a virgin material, the quality of the recycled material can be maintained better than in the case of manufacturing a recycled material only from the recycled material.

[0077] As described above, the present invention has been described by showing preferred embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0078] 1, 2: Cyclic recycling system 10: Container body manufacturing system, 11: Preform manufacturing system, 12: Bottle blow molding system 20: Lid manufacturing system 31: Contents manufacturing system, 32: Beverage manufacturing system, 35: Filling system, 36: Beverage filling system 41: Product distribution system, 42: Home delivery system, 45: Container recovery system, 46: Empty bottle recovery system 50: Consumer 60: Flake manufacturing system 70: Cleaning system 120: Preform factory, 220: Lid manufacturing factory, 320: Beverage factory, 420: Retail store, 520: Consumer's home, 620: Recycling factory, 720: Aggregation / cleaning factory

Claims

1. A filling system configured to manufacture a product by filling a predetermined type of bottle made of synthetic resin with a content, A recovery system configured to recover only specific products including the predetermined type of bottle of the product after the content has been consumed, A recycled material manufacturing system configured to manufacture a recycled material by material recycling from the specific product including the recovered predetermined type of bottle, And a bottle manufacturing system configured to manufacture the predetermined type of bottle using at least part of the recycled material, comprising The filling system is configured to manufacture the product by filling the predetermined type of bottle manufactured by the bottle manufacturing system with a content so that the recycled material circulates. A circulating recycling system.

2. Further comprising a home delivery system for delivering the product manufactured by the filling system to the consumer's home, The recovery system is configured to recover the specific product including the bottle from the consumer's home. The circulating recycling system according to claim 1.

3. Further comprising a lid manufacturing system configured to manufacture a predetermined type of lid made of synthetic resin of the same type as the bottle using at least part of virgin material or a material equivalent to virgin material, The filling system is configured to manufacture the product by filling the predetermined type of bottle manufactured by the bottle manufacturing system with a content and sealing it with the predetermined type of lid manufactured by the lid manufacturing system. The recovery system is configured to recover the predetermined type of lid together with the predetermined type of bottle as the specific product. The recycled material manufacturing system is configured to manufacture the recycled material from the specific product including the recovered predetermined type of bottle and the predetermined type of lid. The recycling system according to claim 1.

4. The recycling system according to claim 3, wherein a weight ratio between the bottle and the lid is such that the bottle is 80 to 95% and the lid is 20 to 5%.

5. The recycling system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the lid manufacturing system is configured to manufacture the predetermined types of lids using only the virgin material or a material equivalent to the virgin material.

6. The recycling system according to claim 5, wherein the bottle manufacturing system is configured to manufacture the predetermined types of bottles using only the recycled material.

7. The recycled material manufacturing system is configured to manufacture flakes as the recycled material, The bottle manufacturing system is a preform manufacturing system that manufactures a preform from the flakes, and a bottle blow molding system that manufactures the bottle from the preform and includes The recycling system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. The recycling system according to claim 1, wherein the recycled material manufacturing system does not include a manual sorting step and a specific gravity separation step.

9. The recycling system according to claim 8, wherein the recycled material manufacturing system does not include an air separation step.

10. The recycling system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the recycled material manufacturing system includes a step of pulverizing the bottle after removing a label that can be provided on the predetermined types of bottles.

11. The synthetic resin is polyester in the recycling system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 8 to 9.

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