QM Recycled Energy (QMRE) welcomee the UK’s first VÍXLA plastic waste-2-oil system into its Kent facility. This 16.4-tonne, containerised unit from Eagle Technology of Norway is the first compact, containerised, decentralised, plastic waste-2-oil system seen in the UK.
QMRE
The partnership with Eagle has been cemented by QMRE sharing the results of their three years of operating experience with their test and development pyrolysis system. The results were fed into Eagle’s production processes and led to creating what is a thermolysis-driven plastic waste-2-oil system.
The delivery of the first VÍXLA system from Eagle Technology represents a significant milestone, and the first step towards achieving an annual processing capacity of 6,600 tonnes (operating four VIXLAS) of plastic waste at our site in Hoo. The oil produced from the VÍXLA will be sold to Petrochem companies who will use it to make new and renewable plastic instead of using feedstocks from fossil origins.
A typical QMRE VÍXLA system will convert 1kg of plastic waste into 1 litre of QUEL (pyro-oil) - 85% of the total, 12% non-condensable gas used to heat the process and 3% carbon ash which can be used in construction products. The system operates for 330 days of the year. When fully operational with 100 sites each with four VIXLAS, 550-600,000 tonnes of plastic waste will be recycled per annum, which is 10-12% of the 2021 plastic waste figures. (Source: ORA -Original Recycling Association, 2022).
Commenting on the introduction of the UK’s first containerised, modular plastic waste-2-oil system, QMRE’s CEO Tim StClair-Pearce said, “This is a truly momentous day. For six years QMRE has been laying the groundwork to produce a system that could deal effectively with the problem of plastic waste pollution. Our collaboration with Eagle and other parties has resulted in the VÍXLA which will now be rolled out to create a nationwide network of plastic waste-2-oil systems, which, with further processing, will turn the oil back into new and renewable plastic. So, what was once an environmental problem can now become an asset which reduces the need for virgin plastics from fossil origins.”
Roy Moberg, Eagle Technology’s CEO, commented, “Our first VÍXLA delivery to QMRE is an important milestone in our journey to develop a unique chemical recycling technology for plastic. It has been a long and demanding process to reach where we are today. Our latest test runs now show that we are controlling the process well with high yield and excellent quality oil.”
“QMRE is an innovative partner with strong industry knowledge, and we are very pleased that it is QMRE who will be the owner of our first commercial VÍXLA system,” Moberg continued.“We look forward to getting the plant operational in the UK and are excited to develop and optimise the technology together with QMRE. Operational experience from the plant will be extremely valuable for Eagle in further developing the technology. We will do our utmost to support QMRE so that, together, we succeed in offering the market a unique technology that the world needs to achieve the green transition.”