Durable star wheels for waste sorting

9 July 2019


LANXESS’s Urethane Systems business unit has developed an alternative to synthetic rubber for producing star wheels for material separation plants and material transport. It is based on polyurethane (PU) elastomers produced from Adiprene Low Free (LF) prepolymers. The PU star wheels are not only characterised by a longer service life and excellent mechanical performance, but are also resistant to heat and moisture.

It was developed based on product requirements, technical application and optimisation algorithms using the CAD software Solidworks. “We have already signed contracts with selected processors in North America to ensure that end customers of star wheels benefit from the highest level of quality and performance,” says Michael Timm, global head of Marketing and Development at Urethane Systems. 

Doubled service life

While the beginnings of the star wheel can be traced back to the reprocessing of old newspapers, they can now be used to separate paper from various household mixed waste (single-stream recycling). The plants used for the single-stream recycling process must be able to handle waste streams at speeds of up to 50 metric tons per hour.

The star screen machines used in single stream material recycling facilitys (MRFs) each consist of several steel axles on which the star wheels are mounted. Each deck has its own star wheel arrangement depending on the screen size. In particular, the star wheels of the first screening decks are extremely subject to abrasion because they have to sort out heavier waste components at high running speeds.

“A wheel version based on our Adiprene LF TDI prepolymer is used in the plants, which is twice as durable as a component made of rubber. The wheels can therefore be replaced less frequently, which saves material costs and extends the maintenance intervals of the plants,” says Timm. The extreme wear resistance of the wheels is due to the high abrasion, tear and cut resistance of the PU elastomer.

Application potential in agriculture, construction and forestry 

The use of Adiprene LF TDI is not limited to star wheels for waste recovery and recycling facilities.

“We believe that the PU star wheels can also be used in agriculture, for example in harvesting systems or for handling mulch, peat, humus and compost,” explains Timm.

Further application opportunities arise in the construction industry, including in the demolition of buildings, in forestry and in extremely fast production processes for food, beverages and health products. 



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.