Modular depolymerisation project wins funding go-ahead
European Plastics Convertors has joined Gr3n and a polymers consortium to start a new European project on chemical recycling, DEMETO.
The project aims to enabling chemical depolymerisation of PET at industrial scale based on its microwave-based process intensification, focusing as a start on coloured bottles waste.
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme.
During its launch event at the end of September in Brussels, the consortium welcomed around 60 experts from the PET packaging and polyester industry and gave an insight into the DEMETO project, its technical foundation, economical aspects and role in a circular economy.
Maurizio Crippa, CEO of gr3n, said: “DEMETO proposes the industrialisation and demonstration at full-scale of a new industrial process which allows to chemically recycle PET bottles, food containers and even textiles in a highly profitable and environmentally sustainable way.”
The core technology of DEMETO has been invented by his company gr3n to enable an effective process intensification of the depolymerisation reaction (hydrolysis) of plastic, from bottles, provided virgin-grade quality polymer building blocks.
Franco Cavadini, CTO of Synesis, said: “DEMETO’s technology, once successfully implemented, would allow to close the recycling loop for PET, with a potential impact on environment and society at large that would be enormous, introducing the concept of full circular economy in the plastic domain.”
The business exploitation strategy of DEMETO is based on a synergistic relationship between two industrial stakeholders: gr3n, as the manufacturer of the Reactive Units, and Processi Innovativi, as EPC contractor that builds the full-scale de-polymerisation plants. gr3n will supply Processi Innovativi with all the reactors needed to realise these plants required to cover progressively the total available market.
The complete DEMETO Consortium includes ACTOR, DTU, European Outdoor Group, European Plastics Converters (EuPC), Fricke and Mallah GmbH, gr3n, H&M, NEOGROUP, Processi Innovativi, PETCIA, SUPSI, Synesis, and 3V Tech.