A few weeks after partnering with Dow, technology commercialisation platform Innventure announced it has acquired exclusive rights to licence VTT’s thermochemical conversion technology for plastic waste.
Technology licencing will be handled by Refinity, an Innventure subsidiary established for the purpose.
VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, has developed pyrolysis and gasification technologies that use a fluidised bed reactor to convert mixed plastic waste into chemical precursors. Refinity said it acquired global licencing rights for VTT’s proprietary fluidised bed advanced plastic waste conversion technology, without specifying pyrolysis or gasification as the target technology. At the time of publication, VTT did not answer Sustainable Plastics’ request for clarification.
VTT has proven its technology at pilot scale at its Bioruukki Pilot Centre in Finland, one of Europe’s largest open access pilot facilities.
This chemical recycling technology requires ‘minimal sorting’ of mixed plastic waste, according to a Refinity statement. The process has higher yield and lower carbon dioxide emissions than conventional thermochemical processes, Refinity said.
Refinity will work with VTT to optimise the technology, focusing on increasing yield. The process will use plastic waste not suitable for conventional thermochemical conversion or mechanical recycling that are currently landfilled or incinerated. Refinity plans to scale up and deploy the technology in future commercial plastic waste-to-value conversion facilities.
“We are excited to collaborate with Refinity to commercialise our thermochemical conversion technology, delivering an economically viable waste-to-value solution for a sustainable future,” said Tua Huomo, executive vice president of VTT. “This technology builds on decades of dedicated research and development at VTT. It is truly rewarding to see our innovations being implemented globally through this technology transfer.”
As part of its collaboration with Innventure, Dow will support Refinity with technical resources for engineering and developing these processes, as well as identifying potential sites for future commercial operations.
Dow aims to commercialise three million tonnes of circular and renewable solutions by 2030.