Additive Manufacturing | ΕΠΕΞΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ ΜΕΤΑΛΛΩΝ - ΠΛΑΣΤΙΚΩΝ
INEOS Styrolution and AmSty, two of the largest global producers of polystyrene, announce plans to construct a joint 100 ton per day facility in Channahon, Illinois, that will utilize the Agilyx advanced recycling technology to recycle post-use polystyrene products back into virgin-equivalent styrene monomer.[1]
“Discarded single-use items like polystyrene foam cups and yogurt cups can now go right back to the same applications over and over at the same purity and performance with no need to landfill,” said Greg Fordyce, President Americas for INEOS Styrolution. “We are excited to join forces with AmSty on this ambitious project, which we expect will elevate polystyrene as a sustainable material of choice. In particular, this facility will dramatically increase recycling rates in the greater Chicago area.”
In 2018, AmSty and Agilyx formed their Regenyx joint venture to advance the development of a similar facility in Tigard, Oregon, using Agilyx’s breakthrough pyrolysis technology. The Channahon facility will be engineered on a larger scale in cooperation with Agilyx to represent the next generation of advanced recycling technology.
“Polystyrene products can offer sustainability advantages where less material is required (e.g. a polystyrene foam cup is 95% air),” said Tim Barnette, Vice President – Polymers and Sustainability at AmSty. “Polystyrene is particularly advantageous for advanced recycling because it can be “unzipped” back to its original liquid form, styrene monomer. Other plastics can also be converted into useful intermediates, but polystyrene offers a truly circular solution. Polystyrene remains the best option for a range of applications such as food and beverage containers. We view polystyrene waste products as valuable feedstock for circular recycling. Keeping plastics out of the landfills not only makes sense from an environmental standpoint, but it makes economic sense as well.”
“Advanced recycling technologies are key to creating a circular economy for plastics,” said Tim Stedman, CEO of Agilyx. “Agilyx’s technology for converting waste polystyrene is proven at scale, having been operational for several years now in Oregon. This new facility in Illinois will be the largest of its type in the world, and will meet the growing demand from brand owners who want more recycled plastic, allowing them not only the possibility of recycling food grade material back to the same products but also for the upcycling of lower quality non-food grade products to meet food grade usage requirements.”
Agilyx will also source and supply plastic waste feedstock for the facility through its recently formed Cyclyx subsidiary. “In addition to the technology, we have developed a feedstock management system, which is just as important as the technology in developing the supply chain for this new market,” said Joe Vaillancourt, Cyclyx’s President. “The overarching goal of Cyclyx is to dramatically increase the recyclability of post-use plastics with a priority for fully circular pathways, as well as assisting in the development of new supply chains that will aggregate and preprocess larger volumes of post-use plastics than current systems.”
Engineering design for the Channahon facility is under way, with construction and commissioning as the expected next phases.
Background:
AmSty, INEOS Styrolution and Trinseo have signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to accelerate the introduction of circularity for one of the most recyclable polymers, polystyrene. The JDA targets advancements in all technical aspects to enable scaled investment in advanced commercial recycling solutions and optimize recycling technologies for large-scale commercial use.
Polystyrene is a unique polymer suitable for multiple advanced recycling solutions like depolymerization. Its properties make it ideal for a circular economy – even enabling food contact compliancy of the recycled material, often considered the holy grail of polymer recycling.
About AmSty
AmSty is a leading integrated producer of polystyrene and styrene monomer, offering solutions and services to customers in a variety of global markets. AmSty is a member of the American Chemistry Council and its Responsible Care® initiative, and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. AmSty is a joint venture equally owned by Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP and Trinseo LLC.
About Agilyx
Agilyx is the pioneer in chemically recycling difficult-to-recycle post-use plastic streams into a variety of products including circular virgin-like plastics, chemical intermediates, and fuels. The company has not only developed these first-to-market products, but has also developed a feedstock management company Cyclyx International, Inc. and is working with many waste service providers, municipalities, petro-chemical, and many brand and retail companies to develop closed-loop advance recycling solutions for mixed waste plastics.
INEOS Styrolution is the leading global styrenics supplier, with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. With world-class production facilities and more than 90 years of experience, INEOS Styrolution helps its customers succeed by offering innovative and sustainable best-in-class solutions, designed to give them a competitive edge in their markets, and at the same time, help make the circular economy for styrenics a reality. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including automotive, electronics, household, construction, healthcare, packaging and toys/sports/leisure. In 2019, sales were at 5 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,600 people and operates 20 production sites in ten countries.