Ineos Inovyn, the chlorvinyls arm of UK-based chemical company Ineos, has announced the launch of two PVC pilot plants at its Jemeppe-sur-Sambre site in Belgium.
Both units will draw on Vinyloop’s technology, a patented dissolution recycling process for complex PVC waste developed by Solvay between 2002 and 2018. Based in Ferrara, Italy, the Vinyloop PVC recycling project ceased operations in 2018 after the EU REACH regulation classified many plasticisers used in PVC as hazardous.
Plasticised PVC is one of the most used, and one of the cheapest, plastics available. The addition of plasticisers makes the material soft and flexible. Phthalic acid esters – phthalates – were commonly used as plasticisers for PVC in the past. These chemicals have been associated with a plethora of negative health impacts and many are now banned or restricted in the EU.
Whilst many of these substances are no longer used in new PVC products in Europe, they can still be present in recycled PVC. Ineos project aims to up upgrade Vinyloop dissolution technology to separate these legacy additives from complex PVC waste.
The goal of both pilot projects it to prepare the ground for commissioning an industrial unit with a 40,000 tonnes/year capacity by 2030, Ineos Inoyn said in a statement.
The projects will be integrated in two wider projects operated by Belgium consortiums.
The 'CIRC-PVC' consortium covers the entire value chain, from collecting PVC waste at construction-demolition sites to the production of recycled PVC without legacy additives.
It brings together industrial partners and experts from across different stages of the value chain, including construction company Entreprises Générales Louis Duchêne, waste collector Vanheede Environmental Logistics, sorting technology company Rovi-Tech, Eco-Dec specialising in solid-liquid separation technology, and PVC masterbatch producer Avient Corporation.
These industrial partners are supported by Centexbel who will provide analysis capabilities and by the University of Liège, which will work on both the life cycle analysis and supply chain optimisation.
The second consortium 'Dissolv' will drive the development for PVC waste from flooring, carpets, and tarpaulin applications which cannot be recycled today due to the presence of textile fibres and legacy additives. Its members include ExxonMobil, which will work on the valorisation of extracted plasticisers, and Sioen Industries, working on the valorisation of the polyester fibres.
“By working together across the value chain we can leverage our collective expertise, to develop faster solutions and bring more recycled products to the market,” said Luc Castin, Ineos Inovyn Sustainability Manager. “We need a thriving and competitive European plastic industry that allows us to increase investment and innovation in circularity and decarbonisation,” he concluded.