Aduro Clean Technologies has shared sample test results from its Continuous Flow Plastics Reactor.
The Canada-based chemical recycler commissioned the pilot scale reactor in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, in March 2023. The unit is a test bench for its hydrochemolytic technology (HCT), a water-based chemical conversion process which the company says works with lower operating temperatures and produces lower emissions, higher purity products, and higher yields of hydrocarbon products from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) plastic waste.
Now, Aduro has some data to back up its claims. It has shared sample results and key summary observations from test runs of waste polypropylene using the Continuous Flow Plastic Reactor unit. Overall, it conducted over 240 test runs on a variety of feedstock compositions, with the longest test stretching to 36 hours. The company said it will share a comprehensive report detailing its findings in the ‘near future’.
The sample results show that less than 5% of the waste PP input ends up as non-recyclable material: 1.2% as char, 1.4% as carbon dioxide, and 2.6% as methane.
Up to 95% of the carbon in the feedstock is converted into potential hydrocarbon feedstock for the production of new plastics and/or other chemicals. In particular, 47% is converted into C5-C12 hydrocarbons (petroleum hydrocarbons), 19.5% into C13-C20 hydrocarbons (hydrocarbon solvents), 17.5% into C2-C4 hydrocarbons (ethane, propane, and butane), 6.2% into higher molecular weight residues, 4.7% into C21-30 hydrocarbons (solids), and 0.1% into hydrogen.
"Achieving less than 5% carbon loss to methane and char in our tests is not just a technical success; it's a monumental step towards sustainable plastic management,” said Eric Appelman, CRO at Aduro. “This level of carbon recovery efficiency positions HCT as a pivotal technology in the fight against plastic waste and carbon footprint reduction."
Appelman added that the test results show the carbon footprint of HCT is ‘exceptionally low’ and that the technology has the ability to ‘outperform traditional chemical recycling methods’.
The reactor also run experiments as part of Aduro’s Customer Engagement Programme (CEP). The programme enables paying organisations to conduct controlled technology evaluation sessions of the hydrochemolytic technology. It also allows Aduro to perform analysis and experimentation using diverse waste polymers sourced from different locations and businesses across the world, each with varying compositions and contaminant levels.
