HORGEN - Dow has announced two major developments to accelerate mechanical and advanced recycling, part of its strategy to develop solutions that ensure a higher number of used plastics can be recycled into high quality new products that contains more recycled content so that less waste goes into landfill or incineration.
The agreement with Mura Technology, the company behind an advanced plastic recycling solution will see the construction of multiple advanced recycling facilities in Europe and the US with goal of adding as much as 600 kilotons of capacity by 2030, rapidly scaling up Mura’s unique HydroPRS advanced recycling process. Dow will become main off-taker of circular feed from Mura and will supply major brands across the globe as part of its effort to help scale the elimination of plastic waste.
Elsewhere, Dow and Valoregen have teamed up to build the largest single hybrid recycling plant France, hosting both advanced and mechanical recycling. With Dow’s investment, the collaboration aims to achieve an operational plant by end Q1 2023 and to reach capacity to process up to 70 kilotons of plastic waste per year. Dow will be the main off-taker of the PCR. In future the plant will combine advanced and mechanical recycling into one ecosystem.
Welcoming the collaboration, Fabrice Digonnet, mechanical recycling strategy leader for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics, said: “We are delighted to work with Valoregen on this innovative new project that can help give recycling in Europe a real boost. Recycling rates for plastics are still far too low and we need to help scale the technology and ensure a viable market for plastics waste. Our investment will help increase mechanical recycling rates and in doing so, help accelerate a circular economy for plastics and reduce carbon emissions. We are excited to offer our investment and expertise on this ground-breaking initiative, while continuing to scale up circularity solutions for our customers.”
The project will mark an important step in bringing together mechanical recycling (which processes certain plastic waste into secondary products) and newer, advanced recycling processes (which breaks down mixed, hard-to-recycle plastics into their original naphtha-like liquid form to manufacture new virgin-like polymers).
Valoregen’s ultimate aim is to create a unique ecosystem capable of recycling all forms of plastic waste in one place. Both mechanical and advanced recycling technologies are complementary and essential to achieving Dow’s commitment to incorporate at least 100,000 tones of recycled plastics in its product offerings sold in the European Union by 2025.
Thierry Perez, president of Valoregen, commented: “Dow’s collaboration and trust in Valoregen’s innovative and disruptive model has been key to the project’s success and we are pleased to formalize this partnership. Our committed team has developed a concrete, agile solution that contributes to the circular economy of plastics and advances decarbonization. This next generation solution will achieve recycling for high-end technical packaging applications. We are delighted to work so closely with Dow towards circular solutions.”
By bringing these technologies under one roof, the plant will increase energy efficiency by enabling a a yield greater than 80%, well above the average conventional mechanical recycling efficiency of around 60-70% – minimizing waste - thanks to a smart energy management system. Valoregen will also reduce the overall carbon emissions produced from these processes as it strives to limit the transportation of waste products to different sites.
Dow will be the main recipient of post-consumer resins, which it will use to develop new plastic products marketed under Dow’s REVOLOOP product range. It will also provide significant expertise in recycling technology to Valoregen to support the development of its capabilities.
With the Mura partnership, Dow says it will play an important role as a key off-taker of the circular feed that Mura produces. This circular feed, derived from plastic waste currently destined for landfill or incineration, reduces reliance on fossil-based feedstocks and will enable Dow to produce a recycled plastic feedstock for the development of new, virgin-grade plastics which are in high demand from global brands. By working together, Dow and Mura say they will ensure plastic has a viable way to be re-circulated into global supply chains, helping to advance a circular economy for plastics and increase the value of plastic waste.
These planned capital investments by Mura, as well as Dow’s off-take agreements, represent both companies’ largest commitment to date to advance and scale global advanced recycling capabilities.
“The strengthening of Dow and Mura’s partnership is another example of how Dow is working to build momentum around breakthrough advanced recycling technologies,” said Marc van den Biggelaar, Advanced Recycling Director for Dow. “By investing in new applications, Dow is working to meet the increased demand for recycled material from its customers and make a meaningful impact on the supply chain, helping to close the loop on plastic waste. Dow is committed to accelerating a circular economy for plastics and our expanded partnership with Mura marks a significant step on this journey. As a long-term partner, we are excited about the potential of this process to recycle plastics and help solve the plastic waste challenge.”
The partnership also marks an important milestone in the rapid scaling of Mura’s HydroPRS (Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution) advanced recycling process, which can be used to recycle all forms of plastic, including flexible and multi-layer plastics, which have previously been deemed ‘unrecyclable’. Once deployed at scale, it has the capability to prevent millions of tons of plastic and carbon dioxide from entering the environment every year and create the ingredients for a sustainable, circular plastics economy.
The world’s first plant using Mura’s HydroPRS process, located in Teesside, U.K., is expected to be operational in 2023 with a 20 KT per year production line set to supply Dow with a 100% recycled feedstock. The extended partnership is set to considerably increase this supply, playing a significant role in Dow and Mura’s planned global rollout of as much as 600 KT of advanced recycling capacity by 2030.
