South China BOPET Film Manufacturer · Mobile Skid-Mounted In-Line Chemical Recycling
A skid-mounted DMT recycling unit for a south China BOPET film maker: 500 t/y trim waste reused in line, at 60% of a fixed unit's capex.
Background & client context
- Client
- South China BOPET film manufacturer
- Region
- South China
- Scale
- 50 kt/y BOPET film · private market leader
- Industry
- Polyester Film
The client is a south China BOPET specialist producing optical, electronic, and release films. BOPET process characteristics generate continuous trim, ignition and broken-film waste — ~500 t/y total — historically sold to downstream recyclers at ¥4,800/t, with under-realized value.
As optical-grade BOPET tightens raw material consistency requirements, recycler-sourced secondary material no longer meets in-line reuse. Concurrently, brand customers (display panel, EV manufacturers) raise raw material carbon footprint and traceability demands. The client needed in-line regeneration + closed-loop reuse capability.
After evaluating 4 chemical-recycling vendors, the client selected ResourceCycle’s mobile skid solution — per-ton capex 60% of fixed-installation alternatives (¥18,000/t capacity vs ¥30,000/t), and deployable physically adjacent to existing BOPET line, with ≤50 m logistics radius.
Pre-engagement pain points
- 01Under-realized trim waste value
- Outbound recycler price ¥4,800/t; once regenerated to polyester-grade DMT and reused in-line, equivalent feedstock value ≈¥8,500-9,200/t — ¥4,000 lost per ton.
- 02Optical-grade raw material consistency
- Optical film requires b ≤0.5, purity ≥99.95%. Externally purchased secondary recycled material cannot reliably meet these specs.
- 03Limited space + continuous operation requirement
- BOPET line runs 24×7 with no downtime allowed. Recycling unit must deploy on adjacent fringe space (≤300 m²) without production disruption.
- 04Brand customer carbon footprint traceability
- Display panel and EV manufacturers demand full BOPET raw material carbon footprint chain, with PCF data traceable to recycling process.
ResourceCycle delivery
Mobile skid-mounted chemical-recycling unit
ResourceCycle 500 t/y mobile skid DMT unit — disassembled into 4 × 20 ft container loads, on-site assembly ≤5 days. Per-ton capex ¥18,000 — only 60% of fixed unit.
Production-line-adjacent deployment + zero logistics radius
Unit on 280 m² fringe space beside BOPET line; waste enters pre-treatment via 30 m conveyor, ≤50 m logistics radius — eliminates external transport.
Optical-grade DMT process customization
Tailored deep decolorization + deacidification: 4-stage distillation + activated carbon + molecular sieves. DMT product b ≤0.3, color ≤3 APHA, purity ≥99.95% — exceeds general polyester grade.
Seamless integration to client's BOPET line
DMT routed in insulated piping at 145-150°C liquid state directly to BOPET reactor feed inlet — avoids reheating energy. DCS integrated with client master control system.
Full-chain PCF traceability
ResourceCycle + SGS completed full PCF chain audit: trim collection → chemical recycling → DMT product → BOPET reuse. ISO 14067 report provided to client for brand customer submission.
Phases & deliverables
- 01
Phase 01 · Site survey + scheme design
Jul - Aug 2024 (1.5 months)
Site layout, flow analysis, skid dimensions, quote confirmation
- 02
Phase 02 · Skid module manufacturing
Sep - Oct 2024 (2 months)
4 skid modules manufactured + 72 h pre-shipment dry run
- 03
Phase 03 · Container transport + on-site assembly
Nov 2024 (0.5 month)
Container logistics → site lift → module connections → utility hookup
- 04
Phase 04 · Commissioning + performance test
Dec 2024 (1 month)
72 h hot run, optical-grade DMT validation, client BOPET trial
- 05
Phase 05 · Commercial production
Jan 2025 onwards
Stable 9-month operation, 42 t/month optical-grade DMT, zero incidents
KPIs & delivered value
| Metric | Achieved | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Trim waste processed | 500 t/y | 100% internal consumption |
| DMT output | ≥450 t/y | Optical-grade (b ≤0.3) |
| Unit footprint | 280 m² | Line-adjacent deployment |
| Capex per ton capacity | ¥18,000/t | 40% lower than fixed unit |
| Logistics radius | ≤50 m | In-line conveyor only |
| Trim value uplift | +¥4,000/t | From recycler outbound to in-line feedstock |
| Annual new economic benefit | ~¥2.2M | Feedstock substitution + value uplift |
| Optical-grade DMT validation | Passed | b ≤0.3, haze ≤0.5% |
| Static payback | 4.2 years | Includes skid equipment + installation |
| BOPET carbon reduction | -18% | PCF report delivered to brand customers |
「What we valued most wasn't the recovery rate number — it was ResourceCycle's skid solution that let us complete 'trim waste → optical-grade feedstock' value uplift without stopping production or expanding the site. First batch DMT b = 0.27 — more stable than the imported secondary recycled material we used to buy.」
South China BOPET film manufacturer
VP Operations · BOPET Division
- 01500 t/y trim 100% in-line resource utilization, zero external disposal
- 02Transport radius compressed from ≥80 km to ≤50 m, 99% logistics CO₂ reduction
- 03Optical-grade DMT substituting imported feedstock, downstream BOPET PCF -18%
- 04ISO 14067 PCF report delivered to brand customers for Scope 3 disclosure
- 05Mobile skid replicable to other client manufacturing sites
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