INNOVATION | STYRENIC PLASTICS
Members of Styrenics Circular Solutions undertook successful trials in incorporating rPS in foam food trays
of international styrenics producers Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS) last year confirmed the recyclability of foamed PS trays into a high purity recyclate through a mechanical recycling process, with the recyclate being integrated into new foamed PS trays for food contact applications. The tray-to-tray closed-loop recycling scheme
circular feedstocks from Encina. The circular feedstocks from the new US production site will be available for purchase as recycled content credits, based on the ISCC Plus mass-balance system. AmSty plans to enter into additional offtake agreements to purchase circular feedstocks as each new Encina plant comes online, says Barnette. “We are excited to be Encina’s first announced off-take partner. Teaming up with Encina will significantly increase our capability to produce recycled content, to produce PolyRenew credits and begin merchandising recycled polystyrene across a host of new applications,” says Barnette. AmSty also has a collaboration with recycling technology developer Agilyx called Regenyx, a joint-venture PS recycling operation in Tigard, Oregon. At that facility, Agilyx’ advanced chemical recycling technology converts post-use polystyrene products back into styrene monomer with virgin- equivalent properties but with a 50-70% lower carbon footprint. AmSty refines the monomer in what it calls the PolyUsable process then uses it to make new products. Global materials company Trinseo last year said it plans to build a world-class chemical recycling plant at its Tessenderlo, Belgium site that will be dedicated to polystyrene. Trinseo planned for construction to begin by the end of 2022, with the finished facility capable of processing 15,000 of recycled PS flake annually that will be converted into high quality recycled styrene, to enable further production of PS and/or other styrenics including ABS and SAN. Trinseo selected Synova, a provider of technol- ogy for the recycling of mixed plastic waste. The technology has been invented by independent Dutch research organisation TNO and features a highly efficient process to convert waste into high value products while improving the CO2 footprint. Members and partners of the recycling initiative
22 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | January/February 2023
required a consortium of companies across the value chain. This included: Corepla, a Milan, Italy-based private and non-profit consortium that brings together packaging companies; recycling equipment and technology developer Tomra of Norway; and German waste management com- pany Zimmermann Recycling & Transporte, which performed the high-purity deep sorting, hot washing, and flake sorting operations. Milan-based Foreverplast developed the dewatering and finishing of the PS recyclate. Versalis performed a quality assessment to verify the purity of the recyclate. Converter Magic Pack, a member of the com-
pany ProFood Italy, integrated the rPS in the new foamed food trays. The rPS is incorporated as the functional middle layer in an ABA structure between virgin PS layers. The foamed PS trays contained 50% rPS, are 100% recyclable and can be recycled multiple times over again. “The proof that PS food trays can be effectively and efficiently sorted, recycled and returned even to its original food contact applications should inspire accelerated scale-up,” says Jens Kathmann, Secretary-General of SCS. Tomra confirmed that foamed polystyrene packaging can be effectively and efficiently sepa- rated and sorted with existing technology. SCS noted that several further examples of foamed polystyrene collection, sorting and recycling projects are being established in France, Sweden, Ireland, and Belgium.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.ineos-styrolution.com �
www.midea.com �
www.ger.com.cn/english �
www.grupolantero.com �
www.coexpan.com �
www.indaver.com �
www.polystyvert.com �
www.elix-polymers.com �
www.repsol.com �
www.anqore.com �
www.amsty.com �
www.encina.com �
www.agilyx.com �
www.trinseo.com �
www.styrenics-circular-solutions.com
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: MAGIC PACK
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