Dow has become the latest virgin plastics company to announce it will offer products derived from a chemical recycling technology.
The Midland, Mich.-headquartered company signed an off-take agreement with Dutch company Fuenix Ecogy Group, which uses a pyrolysis technology to recycle scrap plastics. Dow will purchase Fuenix’s pyrolysis oil and process it into new polymers at Dow’s Terneuzen, Netherlands plant.
In a press release, Dow noted that it has a goal of incorporating at least 100,000 metric tons of recycled plastics into its product offerings sold in the European Union by 2025.
Chemical recycling is a general term for three technology types – depolymerization, purification and conversion — all of which are alternatives to traditional mechanical recycling.
Fuenix says it has a unique technology to process mixed plastics into naphtha, paraffin and liquified petroleum gas, while generating fewer carbon dioxide emissions than alternative recycling methods.
“This partnership offers us the opportunity to scale up our technology,” Sirt Mellema, CEO of Fuenix, stated in the press release. “Our ambition is to ensure the value of plastic waste is fully used to create new, circular plastic while significantly reducing the global use of virgin raw materials and CO2 emissions. We are excited to be working with Dow on this initiative and look forward to playing our part in helping to produce more sustainable materials.”
Other virgin plastics companies that have begun dabbling in the chemical recycling space include AmSty, BASF, Borealis, Eastman Chemical, Indorama Ventures, INEOS Styrolution, SABIC and Total.
