Evonik and Oerlikon Barmag have announced their partnership to promote the chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste. Both parties will work to develop solutions for robust and efficient depolymerisation and purification processes, with an integrated repolymerisation concept and associated EPC business models.
Evonik
Evonik partners Oerlikon Barmag.
By the end of the decade, Oerlikon hopes to implement its solution with the help of additional partners who will provide feedstock, technology, and production. Afterwards, third parties will be able to gain access to the technology to help with growth and to realise the potential of PET as a circular plastic.
“This partnership marks a great step forward in the chemical recycling of PET,” said Max Preisenberger, Head of Catalysts at Evonik. “Our new catalytic processes and chemical technologies will complement the current mechanical recycling approach enabling high recycled PET content from heavily contaminated and mixed PET waste that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled. This way we are actively supporting a sustainable circular economy.”
Georg Stausberg, CEO of Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions, added, “We are firmly convinced that with Evonik we gained a strong and experienced partner in the field of speciality chemicals, and together we will establish a significant market position as a total solution provider in the growth market for chemical recycling of PET but also drive the next generation of sustainability within the plastics industry.”
Key benefits of the PET recycling solution:
- A highly efficient process, that can be integrated into existing PET production processes.
- Improvements to operational costs, investment costs, and scalability.
- Combining cooperative know-how in catalyst and process technologies allows for the chemical recycling of polyester materials from various closed and open-loop sources.
The duo’s chemical recycling technology solution will be fully launched and commercialised by the end of the current decade. Additionally, involvement from other companies within the ecosystems (e.g., feedstock, technology, and production) is planned.
