India-based firm says its extruder has been designed to shred and process crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) for recycling.
By Brian Taylor, Senior Editor
Bengaluru, India-based Steer World is offering what it calls a first-of-its-kind method to recycle crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) plastic using its custom Omega Twin-Screw Extrusion Technology.
PEX is used in corrosion-resisted piping applications and as wire and cable coating and insulation. Steer World says the material’s “exceptional durability” also makes it “extremely difficult to recycle using conventional methods.” Thus, adds the technology provider, most discarded PEX ends up in landfills.
Steer World says its Omega Twin-Screw Extruder uses the firm’s patented fractional geometry technology (FGT). That process uses a combination of mechanical shearing and controlled heat to break PEX crosslinks “while preserving its base structure,” turning it into a marketable material called de-PEX (decrosslinked PEX).
“This is not just an innovation in recycling, it’s a shift in how we look at thermoset waste,” says Dr. Prakash Hadimani of Steer World. “With the Omega series of machines, we’ve made it possible to recover and reuse a material that was once considered unrecoverable. That’s a win for the industry and a big step forward for sustainability.”
Steer World says the modular design of its Omega machine “allows precise control of temperature zones, screw speed and configuration—factors essential to ensuring consistent and scalable decrosslinking.”
The resulting product, says the firm, “can be further processed into new products or blended with virgin polymers for a range of industrial applications.”
According to Steer World, the new extruder “opens new doors for manufacturers seeking sustainable alternatives” for discarded materials and can help reduce reliance on virgin plastic, enabling circularity in the PEX sector.
“With this process, we’re not just recycling—we’re redefining what’s recyclable,” says Hadimani. “The ability to reclaim and reintegrate thermoset materials like [PEX] is a breakthrough the industry has been waiting for.”