NEWS


Depolymerisation pilot plant starts up in India


Recycler Novoloop and chemical manufacturer Aether have completed construction of a new depolymerisation pilot plant in Surat, India.


Novoloop says this marks the successful transition from batch reactions to an integrated and automated plant validating its Lifecy- cling depolymerisation tech- nology, which transforms post-consumer polyethyl- ene waste at a carbon footprint reduction of up to 91% when compared to conventional processes. Miranda Wang, Co- founder and CEO of Novoloop, said: “After years of research, development, and engineering, we have built a radically innovative process and now our pilot plant is successfully demon-


IMAGE: NOVOLOOP / AETHER


Dow and P&G study dissolution


Above: Key Novoloop and Aether Industries personnel and the pilot plant in Surat, India


strating this paradigm shift in technology.” The plant has passed equipment testing and solvent runs, and has achieved continuous operations using commer- cially-representative waste feedstock. Its primary objectives are to demon- strate the safe and reliable


operations of the integrated process, validate key equipment performance in an industrial environment, and achieve production of high purity products. It also produces ton-scale samples to enable off-take commit- ments with early customers. �www.novoloop.com � https://aether.co.in


Borealis to modify furnaces


Borealis is to invest €4.5m in modifying three of the ten cracker furnaces at its olefins unit in Porvoo, Finland. The investment program, expected to be completed


in 2025, will mean that the Porvoo steam cracker, part of a highly integrated petrochemical complex, can increase the share of renewable and recycled raw materials used in its ethylene


and propylene production. The company said that


through strategic furnace modifications it can increase annual production to 120,000 tonnes. �www.borealisgroup.com


Dow and Procter & Gamble have entered a joint development agreement (JDA) focusing on using dissolution technology to recycle a range of plastics with a focus on polyethyl- ene (PE) and targeting post-household waste, especially rigids, flexible and multi-layer packaging. The technology aims to deliver high quality post-consumer recycled polymer with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint than fossil-based PE. The partnership between Dow and P&G begins immediately and is expected to run until commercialisation. “Our partnership with Dow helps P&G advance our objective to scale industry solutions as we help create a circular future where materials are recycled and remade instead of becoming waste,” said Lee Ellen Drechsler, senior vice president of Corporate Research and Development at P&G. P&G plans to use the


material in packaging. �www.dow.com


Versalis takes over Italian compounder


Versalis has acquired Tecnofilm, a specialist compounder based in the Le Marche region of Italy. Founded in 1972, Tecnofilm manu-


factures functionalised polyolefins and thermoplastic compounds based on plastics and elastomers mainly for the footwear and technical goods indus-


8 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2024


tries. It has expanded its product portfolio over the years to offer a wider range of compounds and functional polymers for various industrial applica- tions and technical articles. Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis,


said: “The acquisition of Tecnofilm further strengthens Versalis’ business


specialisation strategy. To this end, it offers the opportunity to expand and specialise our product portfolio by integrating downstream supply chain activities in elastomer-based com- pounding, particularly in the industrial applications and footwear sectors.” �www.versalis.eni.com


www.compoundingworld.com


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