VTT attempting to develop sustainable plastics made from captured carbon

A research project coordinated by Finnish company VTT  is examining the capture and utilisation of carbon dioxide from the forest industry and waste incineration in the manufacture of different types of plastic products. Simultaneously, process concepts will be developed to enable the commercial utilisation of carbon dioxide emissions also in other fields of industry.

The company believes carbon from industrial emissions of carbon dioxide can be bound in the products of the plastics and chemical industries.

The Forest CUMP project, which was launched in August 2022, continues this work, focusing on the carbon dioxide emissions of the forest industry and waste incineration. The intended end-products would be polyolefins – polyethene and polypropene.

The Forest CUMP project aims at developing a processing concept which would enable the scaling of the technology up to the level of industrial production. An interim goal in the commercialisation of the process is to build a small test plant in a selected industrial environment in 2024.

 VTT Research Professor Juha Lehtonen, said: “Solutions are being developed together with corporate partners the Forest CUMP project is being carried out in close cooperation with company partners as part of the Business Finland's Veturi ecosystems, which promote sustainable development. Borealis is one of the Veturi companies.  Forest CUMP is part of Borealis’ SPIRIT programme, which aims at green transition in the plastics industry.”

Antti Ilves, Borealis, added: “This is a significant development project that supports our vision, in which the carbon dioxide emissions from industry could be utilised for the production of e.g. durable plastic pipes out of them, which can bind carbon for long periods of time.”