At a glance

The challenge

Plastchem, a leading manufacturer of high-quality PVC compounds, wanted to anticipate increasing pressure from legislators to use more recycled materials.

The plan

Lybover designed a line with various advanced reduction and sorting processes to make PVC waste suitable for reuse.

The execution

Thanks to this smart circular process, the purified PVC is of consistently high quality and ideal for use in the production of new Hybrid Compounds.

Plastchem, based in Hardenberg, the Netherlands, is a leading producer of high-quality PVC compounds. With more than 3,000 different formulations in all possible colors and a production process that meets the highest sustainability standards, Plastchem proves that ‘plastic’ can be produced sustainably. The factory in Hardenberg is the largest PVC compounds plant in the Benelux and produces over 60,000 tons of PVC compounds annually for various industrial applications such as vinyl records, pipes, gutters, cables, and foam products.

The Lybover Way

The road to Hybrid Compounds

In 2025, Plastchem took its sustainability ambitions a step further with the launch of Plastchem Circular. This new plant, operational since March 2025, converts PVC waste into reusable material through advanced reduction and sorting processes. In this way, Plastchem anticipates the increasing pressure from legislators to use more recycled material. The recycled PVC is integrated into Plastchems production process, resulting in a new product group: the Hybrid Compounds. These offer the same quality and performance as virgin material.

Tom Driessens, Business Director at Plastchem, played a crucial role in the development of the new plant. “The choice for an integrator who can both engineer and build the entire process was essential,” says Driessens. Based on a previous successful collaboration , he once again turned to Lybover, an expert in technology and engineering. Thanks to mutual trust and open communication, decisions could be made quickly. After a few months of detailed engineering and excellent project management, the project could start based on a custom design that met all needs.

The choice for an integrator who can both engineer and build the entire process was essential.
– Tom Driessens, Business Director, Plastchem

A second life for PVC waste material

In an existing hall with limited height, the line had to be carefully designed and installed. Cleanliness was a key focus for the owner and CEO Onno-Pieter Sonnega, making spill prevention a priority. This especially influenced the choice of transport systems, which had to be fully enclosed. Lybover ultimately chose a solution by Schrage, which after successful testing with the client proved to be the most suitable option. This type of closed transport system, with special chain transport, does require the grain size to remain within a certain range to ensure the material can be processed efficiently and without clogging.

The sorting line in detail

In the first phase of the process, the input material is prepared for further processing. The shredder plays a key role here, ensuring the material attains the right granule size. Although this shredder was purchased by the client, its integration was fully handled by Lybover. A hopper then ensures an even and continuous supply of material to the pre-treatment zone. Thanks to the efficient Schrage transport system, longer distances are easily bridged throughout the plant without spillage.

During pre-treatment, the largest contaminants such as metals, fines, and non-PVC materials are removed. Here, Lybover relied on its renowned German technology partners with whom it has an exclusive collaboration. Steinert provided the demetallisation solution, removing both ferrous and non-ferrous materials. A Steinert Unisort sensor machine removes the non-PVC using infrared. Finally, a screen from technology partner Spaleck removes the fines. In the granulation zone, the material is further reduced to granulates by means of a mill, with remaining contaminants being freed. Granulometry is also checked here.

Next, we arrive at the purification zone. By means of electrostatic separation, remaining metals and rubbers are removed. For the lighter parts, we use a windsifter. The light foils are bagged after the windsifter. The remaining PVC is sorted by color, allowing distinction between white, black, and bright. Four mixing silos collect the three PVC streams as well as the rubbers. These silos, equipped with an internal mixing screw, ensure further homogenization. Thanks to the separate input for each mixing silo, Plastchem can further optimize quality and work very flexibly. After the first two mixing silos, we also provide the option to micronize, in which the material is pulverized into powder to be used as a filler.

Each part of the process is designed to have both its own input and output. We opted for a modular approach to flexibly handle the various sorting steps.

Each part of the process has its own input and output, which increases efficiency and flexibility.
– Lars Van Volsem, Sales Engineer Projects, Lybover RECYCLING

Thanks to Lybover’s broad expertise, a complete dust extraction system was also developed. A two-cell jetset filter from partner Keller Lufttechnik was selected for this purpose.

Plastchem and Plastchem Circular together form a unique sustainable solution that forms the basis for a closed material cycle in which PVC gets a second life. Thanks to this clever circular process, the purified PVC remains of consistently high quality and is excellently suited for the production of new Hybrid Compounds.