Cross-industry consortium formed for PET chemical recycling

BP’s Infinia recycling technology has taken a step closer to commercialisation with the formation of a consortium to advance the chemical recycling of PET plastic waste.
 
As part of the collaboration, leading Europe-based multinational companies from consumer goods, packaging and waste management sectors – Britvic, Danone, Unilever, Alpla and Remondis – joined forces with BP to help the company scale-up its recycling technology, unveiled earlier this year.
 
The novel  technology targets difficult-to-recycle plastic food trays and coloured bottles that are currently simply being landfilled or incinerated. 
 
BP’s Infinia technology is designed to turn opaque and difficult-to-recycle PET plastic waste into recycled feedstocks that can be used to make new, high-quality PET plastic packaging with similar quality to that of virgin materials.
 
The technology involves chemically converting complex PET plastic waste back to original monomer feedstocks through a depolymerisation process. The process aims to purify the monomer into recycled terephthalic acid and recycled monoethylene glycol.
 
The European consortium will combine the capabilities and experience of its members to develop the infrastructure and demand for a new circular approach to dealing with PET plastic waste, BP said in a release 19 Dec.
 
PET is a plastic widely used for rigid food packaging and drinks, personal care and homecare bottles. It is a lightweight, durable and versatile material and one of the most collected and recycled types of plastic.
 
Of the PET plastic bottles collected globally, more than 75% are recycled, but only 12% of those collected make it back into new bottles, according to BP.
 
The remainder, BP maintains, is currently lost from the bottle-to-bottle loop as it is used for other applications for which separate collection schemes are currently lacking. 
 
“We are… working together with industry leaders to develop and prove a practical business model that can hopefully contribute to making all types of polyester waste infinitely recyclable,” said Rita Griffin, BP chief operating officer for petrochemicals. 
 
In October, BP announced plans to build a €22m pilot unit in Naperville, US, to bring the “breakthrough” technology to North America by 2020.