Scientific Opinion on the safety assessment of the process SOREPET, based on Buhler B technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

Abstract

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety assessment of the recycling process SOREPET (EU register No RECYC072). The input to the process is hot caustic washed and dried PET flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, mainly bottles, containing no more than 5 % PET from non-food consumer applications. In this process, washed and dried PET flakes are heated to the decontamination temperature and subsequently are further decontaminated in a continuous countercurrent reactor under high temperature and inter gas flow. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the third step, the decontamination in continuous countercurrent reactor for solid state polymerisation (SSP) is the critical step that determines the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control its performance are the temperature, the inert gas flow and the residence time. The operating parameters of this step in the process are at least as severe as those obtained from the challenge test. Under these conditions, it was demonstrated that the recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. The Panel concluded that recycled PET obtained from the process, intended to be used up to 100 % for manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all type of foodstuffs for long term storage at room temperature, with or without hot fill, is not considered of safety concern.

Keywords

• Buhler
• food contact material
• plastic
• poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)
• recycling process
• SOREPET
• safety assessment