AmSty, Agilyx to develop chemical recycling site in Louisiana

Polystyrene maker Americas Styrenics LLC and Agilyx Corp. have agreed to "explore the development of a jointly owned advanced recycling facility" capable of processing 50-100 tons per day.

The initial plans focus on placing the facility at AmSty's styrene production plant in St. James, La., using Agilyx's advanced recycling technology already in use at the companies' Regenyx joint venture in Tigard, Ore., the companies said in an April 8 news release.

Regenyx currently converts post-use PS into "virgin-equivalent styrene monomer."

A feasibility study for the larger project is under way, and AmSty, based in The Woodlands, Texas, and Tigard-based Agilyx said a timeline for construction and commissioning will be announced in the future.

"Polystyrene is an ideal material for the future of recycling," AmSty CEO and President Randy Pogue said in the release. "Not only can polystyrene products offer sustainability advantages where less material is required ... but polystyrene is particularly advantageous for advanced recycling because it can be 'unzipped' back to its original liquid form, styrene monomer, using 40 percent less energy than other polymers."

Cyclyx, Agilyx's feedstock management company, will oversee material gathering.

"Development of this technology has picked up over the past decade, and it is time to reach a larger scale," said Agilyx CEO Tim Stedman "We have been operating Regenyx with AmSty since 2019 and are pleased to expand our relationship toward a much larger facility at St. James."