Synova, Sabic and Technip Energies have signed a Joint Development and Cooperation Agreement that will see the development and realisation of a commercial-scale plant for the production of olefins and aromatics from plastic waste.
Synova and Technip Energies joined forces last year. That partnership coupled the steam cracker expertise of French engineering and technology company Technip Energies with Synova’s patented thermochemical recycling technology technology, creating a comprehensive offering aimed at optimising and improving the plastics chemical recycling technology available today.
They have now been joined by Sabic Global Technologies B.V., an affiliate of Sabic. The plant envisaged by the three companies will use a combined technology developed by Synova and Technip Energies that will be integrated with one of Sabic’s steam crackers. This combined technology includes Synova’s proprietary solids cracking technology (MILENA), together with its gas conditioning and tars removal technology (OLGA) for the conversion of plastic waste into product gas. Intensive plastic waste sorting is unnecessary. Technip Energie’s proprietary gas treatment technology (Pure.rGas) is then applied to remove contaminants from the product gas and purify it to bring the final products up to a specification compatible with processing in a steam cracker downstream of the cracker furnace. The combined technology efficiently converts plastic waste into high value chemicals, providing both a plastic circularity route and significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Synova’s technology was invented by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), an independent Dutch research organization that, amongst others, develops technology relevant to the Circular Economy and Energy Transition. Together with Synova, the technology has been further developed, tested and piloted over a 15-year span.
The new partnership is further bolstered by Sabic’s decision to take a stake in Synova, via its affiliate SABIC Ventures US Holdings LLC. The investment follows the completion of an in-depth technical due diligence process.
The funds will be used, said Synova, to enhance the development of its technology and to strengthen its engineering capabilities.