Italian chemicals company Versalis officially opened a demonstration-scale plant for its "Hoop" chemical recycling technology at its Mantova site in mid-June. Designed to validate the company’s proprietary process for recycling mixed plastic waste, the facility is expected to process up to 6,000 tonnes of input material annually and produce almost 5,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil (naphtha), said Versalis.
The first production tests had been successfully completed in recent weeks, the company reported at the opening. The feedstocks recovered in the plant are suitable for producing plastic materials for all applications, including food contact packaging and pharmaceutical packaging, according to Versalis.
The Italian chemical company, a subsidiary of the Eni group, plans to build a larger pyrolysis plant based on the same process with a capacity of 40,000 tonnes at its Priolo site in Sicily. The feasibility study has already been completed and planning for the permitting process is underway. According to Versalis, the project is part of a broader "Chemical Transformation Plan" and covered by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the group and Italy's Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) that was signed in March.
Pyrolysis process developed with S.R.S.
The process used in the demonstration plant was developed in a project with Italian engineering firm S.R.S. The technology allows for very high material recovery yields combined with a high degree of flexibility regarding input material, according to Versalis.
"This is made possible by combining a high thermal performance pyrolysis reactor with Versalis’s expertise in polymer property analysis and production process optimisation through Artificial Intelligence systems," the company explained. The construction of the facility began at the end of October 2023.
Circular economy: a pillar of Versalis's transformation
At the opening, Versalis CEO Adriano Alfani emphasised the role of the circular economy as one of the pillars of the company's transformation. "The Hoop plant we are opening today is a symbol of the path we are following – harnessing innovation to reshape our business through new industrial initiatives based on circularity, biochemistry and specialisation, in pursuit of increased sustainability. We are committed to addressing all three of sustainability's core dimensions: environmental, social and economic," he said.
The "SC-HOOP" project ("Sustainable Chemical Recycling through HOOP Technology”) through which the demonstration plant was realised, received financial support from the EU Innovation Fund. Versalis noted that out of the 239 submissions to the 2023 call for proposals, the Hoop plant was the only large Italian project among the 41 successful initiatives.
The project data sheet published by the Innovation Fund put the grant amount at around €16m. Versalis did not disclose the total cost of the demonstration plant. Innovation Fund grants are capped at 60 per cent of project costs.
Production plant for PS with mechanically recycled content opened in March
At the end of March, Versalis announced that it had opened a plant at Porto Marghera near Venice where it would produce polystyrene incorporating recycled content. The plant can produce up to 20,000 tonnes per year of general-purpose crystal polystyrene (GPPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) composed of up to 100 per cent mechanically recycled EPS waste.
The materials produced at the plant are marketed as part of the Versalis Revive range and contain between 35 and 100 per cent mechanically recycled post-consumer waste. According to the company, they are primarily intended for the packaging and construction sectors, and are used in thermal insulation panels and protective packaging for household appliances, among other things.
Versalis said the project was "a concrete response to the structural crisis affecting the European chemical industry, but also strengthens Versalis’ product portfolio, enhancing its market competitiveness". CEO Adriano Alfani said there would be further investments in mechanical plastics recycling at Porto Marghera. The site's logistics centre is also to be consolidated and enhanced.
