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, Lioupis Alexandros, Lampi Evgenia
EFSA J. 2022 May 10;20(5):e07276. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7276. eCollection 2022 May.
The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Roxane Nord (EU register number RECYC239), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, including no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are heated in a continuous reactor under vacuum before being extruded and pelletised. The crystallised pellets are then preheated and submitted to solid-state polycondensation (SSP) in a continuous reactor at high temperature under vacuum and gas flow. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the continuous reactor (step 2), the preheating (step 4) and the SSP reactor (step 5) are critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance are temperature and residence time in the continuous reactors of steps 2, 4 and 5, pressure in steps 2 and 5 as well as the gas velocity in steps 4 and 5. 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.
欧洲食品安全局食品接触材料、酶和加工助剂专家委员会（CEP）评估了采用VACUNITE（艾雷玛基础型和Polymetrix SSP V-leaN）技术的Roxane Nord回收工艺（欧盟注册号RECYC239）的安全性。其输入物是经过热碱洗和干燥的聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）薄片，主要源自收集的消费后PET容器，其中非食品消费应用的PET含量不超过5%。这些薄片在连续反应器中于真空条件下加热，然后进行挤出和造粒。结晶颗粒随后被预热，并在连续反应器中于高温、真空和气流条件下进行固态缩聚（SSP）。在审查了所提供的挑战试验后，专家委员会得出结论，连续反应器（步骤2）、预热（步骤4）和SSP反应器（步骤5）对于确定该工艺的去污效率至关重要。控制性能的操作参数是步骤2、4和5中连续反应器的温度和停留时间、步骤2和5中的压力以及步骤4和5中的气体流速。结果表明，这种回收工艺能够确保潜在未知污染物向食品中的迁移水平低于保守模拟的0.1μg/kg食品的迁移量。因此，专家委员会得出结论，当以高达100%的比例用于制造与所有类型食品（包括饮用水）接触的材料和制品，并在室温下长期储存（无论是否热灌装）时，通过该工艺获得的再生PET不存在安全问题。由这种再生PET制成的最终制品不打算用于微波炉和传统烤箱，本评估不涵盖此类用途。
