To improve cost efficiency and maintain stable product performance, UAE DOW has been using a combination of virgin polystyrene material and recycled material in its XPS board production. However, due to unstable recycled material quality and limited local recycled feedstock supply, the company needed a more reliable recycled PS pellet solution to support continuous production.
Customer Background and Key Challenges
UAE DOW produces XPS insulation boards using Italian LMP equipment. In its production process, the company uses both virgin material and recycled material.The recycled material mainly comes from two sources:
- Pelletizing scrap boards generated from its own production process;
- Recycling and pelletizing local PS lump material.
First, the local supply of PS lumps was limited. The monthly procurement volume was only around 25–50 tons, which was not sufficient to support stable and large-scale production.
Second, the customer had limited experience in using recycled PS material in large volumes. They needed technical support on blending ratios, processing parameters, and practical application methods.
Third, the quality of their self-pelletized recycled material was unstable. The filtration mesh level was relatively low, and the melt flow index was too high, which directly affected the processing stability of the XPS extrusion line.
Most importantly, the recycled pellets produced from local material often had a melt flow index above 25. This indicated lower molecular weight and unstable material performance, making it difficult for the finished XPS boards to achieve the required compressive strength.
INTCO RECYCLING Solution
To address these challenges, INTCO RECYCLING provided a professional recycled PS pellet solution tailored to the customer’s XPS insulation board production requirements.Using Grade A Recycled PS Pellets to Replace Part of Virgin Material
INTCO RECYCLING recommended Grade A recycled PS pellets as a partial replacement for virgin polystyrene material. Compared with unstable local recycled material, INTCO RECYCLING Grade A recycled PS pellets offer more consistent quality, better processing stability, and reliable performance in XPS board extrusion.By introducing Grade A recycled PS pellets into the formulation, the customer was able to reduce the use of virgin material while maintaining the required board performance. This helped lower raw material costs without significantly affecting production stability or finished product quality.
For XPS insulation board manufacturers, material consistency is critical. Fluctuations in melt flow index, molecular weight, or impurity levels can lead to unstable foaming, uneven board structure, reduced compressive strength, and higher production loss. INTCO RECYCLING’s stable recycled PS pellets helped the customer better control the production process and reduce the risks caused by raw material variation.
Using Grade B Recycled PS Pellets to Replace Self-Pelletized Recycled Material
The customer’s self-produced recycled pellets had several limitations, including unstable melt flow index, insufficient filtration, and inconsistent material cleanliness. These issues made it difficult to achieve stable compressive strength in finished XPS boards.INTCO RECYCLING provided Grade B recycled PS pellets as a better alternative to the customer’s self-pelletized recycled material. INTCO RECYCLING Grade B recycled PS pellets have a stable melt flow index of 8–15, indicating higher and more stable molecular weight compared with the customer’s recycled pellets, whose melt flow index was often above 25.
In addition, INTCO RECYCLING recycled PS pellets are processed through double-layer 80-mesh filtration, which helps improve material cleanliness and reduce impurities. Cleaner recycled PS material is especially important for XPS board extrusion, as impurities can affect foaming stability, die performance, board surface quality, and long-term production continuity.
By replacing unstable self-pelletized recycled material with INTCO RECYCLING Grade B recycled PS pellets, the customer was able to improve raw material consistency, enhance processing stability, and support better compressive strength performance in finished XPS insulation boards.
Professional Technical Support and After-Sales Guidance
In addition to supplying recycled PS pellets, INTCO RECYCLING also provided professional technical support to help the customer use recycled PS material more effectively.Since the customer had limited experience in large-scale recycled material application, INTCO RECYCLING offered guidance on blending ratios, material selection, and production adjustment. This helped the customer reduce trial-and-error costs and shorten the learning curve when increasing the percentage of recycled material in XPS board production.
INTCO RECYCLING’s after-sales support focused not only on material supply, but also on practical production performance. Based on the customer’s equipment, raw material condition, and target product requirements, INTCO RECYCLING helped optimize the use of recycled PS pellets in the formulation, making the production process more stable and predictable.
For manufacturers using XPS extrusion equipment such as Italian LMP lines, a stable raw material system is essential. INTCO RECYCLING’s combination of reliable recycled PS pellets and application support helped the customer improve production efficiency while reducing dependence on unstable local recycled feedstock.
Results and Benefits
After introducing INTCO RECYCLING recycled PS pellets and technical support, UAE DOW achieved clear improvements in raw material stability, production efficiency, and cost control.Lower Raw Material Costs
By using INTCO RECYCLING Grade A recycled PS pellets to partially replace virgin material and Grade B recycled PS pellets to replace unstable self-pelletized recycled material, the customer was able to reduce overall raw material costs.This gave the customer a more competitive cost structure in the Dubai XPS insulation board market, where price competitiveness and stable supply are both important.
More Stable Product Performance
INTCO RECYCLING Grade B recycled PS pellets, with a controlled melt flow index of 8–15, helped improve the consistency of the customer’s production process. Compared with recycled material with a melt flow index above 25, INTCO RECYCLING’s material provided more stable molecular weight and better support for board strength.As a result, the customer could better control the compressive strength of finished XPS boards and reduce quality fluctuations caused by unstable recycled material.
Improved Production Efficiency
Stable recycled PS pellets helped reduce production interruptions, formulation adjustments, and quality instability. With cleaner material and better filtration, the customer could run the XPS extrusion process more smoothly and reduce potential issues caused by impurities or inconsistent melt behavior.This improved production continuity and helped the customer make better use of available recycled material resources.
Better Use of Recycled Material
With INTCO RECYCLING’s technical guidance, the customer gained more confidence in using recycled PS material in larger volumes. The solution helped them move from limited trial use toward more stable, systematic recycled material application.This not only supported cost reduction, but also aligned with the growing demand for more sustainable building insulation materials in the Dubai market.
Stronger Market Competitiveness
Through improved material stability, lower production costs, and better product consistency, UAE DOW strengthened its competitiveness in the local XPS insulation board market.INTCO RECYCLING’s recycled PS pellet solution provided the customer with a reliable alternative to both virgin material and unstable local recycled material, helping them build a more cost-effective and sustainable production model.
Conclusion
For XPS insulation board manufacturers, recycled material is an important way to reduce production costs. However, unstable melt flow index, low filtration quality, impurities, and insufficient technical experience can make recycled material difficult to use in large-scale production.INTCO RECYCLING provides stable recycled PS pellets and professional application support for XPS board manufacturers. With Grade A recycled PS pellets for partial virgin material replacement and Grade B recycled PS pellets for replacing unstable recycled pellets, INTCO RECYCLING helps customers improve production stability, reduce costs, and enhance finished board performance.
The cooperation with UAE DOW demonstrates how INTCO RECYCLING recycled PS pellets can support XPS insulation board manufacturers in Dubai and other markets with reliable recycled PS material solutions.