In an statement released earlier today, PureCycle Technologies, Inc. announced it has reached mechanical completion of its first polypropylene purification plant in Ironton, Ohio. The company said it had submitted documentation to Leidos Engineering, LLC, the site’s independent construction monitor, for formal certification of completion. This certification is required to achieve key milestones in connection with PureCycle’s Ironton financings.
Meanwhile, the facility will begin operational pre-startup, safety review processes, and start preparations for initial pellet production, which is currently scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2023.
Once fully operational, the facility in Ironton is expected to produce around 49,000 tonnes of Ultra-Pure Recycled (UPR) resin annually. This will significantly expand the availability of high-quality recycled PP plastic - the second most produced and used plastic in the world - in the market. PureCycle’s purification process cleans, decontaminates, and decolourises recycled polypropylene. The physical purification process uses a non-toxic solvent to extract impurities and contaminants from recovered waste polypropylene. The process is expected to use 79% less energy compared to the amount of energy required to produce virgin polypropylene.
“2023 will continue to be an exciting year for PureCycle as we kick off operations at our flagship facility in Ironton. Now that construction is complete, we can begin our ramp-up plan and start producing UPR pellets,” said Dustin Olson, PureCycle’s CEO.
PureCycle licenses the patented process for making high-quality recycled resin from The Procter & Gamble Company, whose scientists developed this technology. P&G is proud to see the technology commercialise, said Victor Aguilar, P&G’s Chief Research, Development and Innovation Officer.
“Thank you, PureCycle, for driving greater scale from our invention, and many thanks to our joint team of scientists who dedicated their time and expertise to bring this important project to fruition.”
The purification plant will also bring new, high wage jobs to the Ironton community - an estimated 80-100, putting Ironton, Ohio ‘at the centre of the global recycling transformation’, said Bill Dingus, Executive Director at the Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation.