Mura Technology announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a five-year research partnership with Ghent University's Laboratory for Chemical Technology (LCT). The research partnership is to involve the construction of a continuous-flow pilot-scale testing facility using Mura's Hydro-PRT process, which uses supercritical water to convert plastic waste to hydrocarbons. According to Mura, it enables the chemical recycling of a wide range of plastics, such as post-consumer packaging.
The pilot plant is to be used for research to evaluate hard-to-recycle polymers, including complex composite materials. "The results will help to drive future technology expansions and help Mura’s chemical partners understand the potential of products from circular feedstocks," said the British technology company.
"Our new, long-term partnership with Ghent University will help us understand fully the exciting capabilities of our Hydro-PRT process, enabling us to provide research opportunities and create partnerships with the wider value chain," commented Steve Mahon, CEO of Mura Technology.
The company's head of sustainability, Geoff Brighty said "Mura is committed to the high-quality science that Professor Van Geem’s team [at the Ghent University laboratory] is renowned for publishing. We look forward to future joint publications which we believe will be critical to underpinning future policy and practice in this area and provide confidence in the achievement of regulatory targets for waste recycling and net zero."
Progress on commercial-scale plants
Elsewhere, Mura is moving ahead with projects for commercial-scale chemical recycling facilities. Last autumn, the company officially began commissioning its first full-scale advanced plastic recycling plant based on its proprietary HydroPRS ("Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution") process. The plant, located in the Wilton International industrial site in Teesside in the UK, is expected to deliver first recycled hydrocarbon products to offtake customers this year. The facility's production capacity of 20,000 tonnes of recycled liquid hydrocarbon products can later be scaled up to three times the original capacity.
Mura also plans to build a larger Hydro-PRS-based recycling plant together with Dow at the chemicals company's Böhlen cracker site in the German state of Saxony. A final investment decision had been predicted before the end of 2023, but as yet there has been no formal announcement of plans to proceed.
