INEOS Styrolution and Trinseo, global leaders in the manufacturing of polystyrene and other styrenic materials, are advancing plans to build the first-of-its-kind PS recycling plant based in Wingles, France.
The planned full commercial-scale recycling facility will be capable of processing up to 50 tonnes per day of post-consumer PS feedstock and is expected to be fully operational by mid-2023.
In previous project milestones, the depolymerisation of polystyrene has proven to be an ideal recycling process showcasing polystyrene’s unique intrinsic capability for full circularity. The plastics-to-plastics depolymerisation technology converts polystyrene food packaging waste directly back into its original liquid monomer, repolymerised and recycled for the same high-quality applications.
Nicolas Joly, Vice President, Plastics and Feedstocks at Trinseo, said: “This plant will be part of establishing a novel recycling infrastructure for styrenics in Europe together with key players from across the entire value chain, which will mark a step change in polystyrene recycling.”
Sven Riechers, Vice President, Business Management, Standard Products EMEA at INEOS Styrolution, added: “Our collaboration between Trinseo and INEOS Styrolution is a significant commitment of capital and resources and a major milestone in truly closing the loop with food grade recycled content. It forms part of INEOS Styrolution’s and Trinseo’s commitments to use, on average, 30 per cent recycled content in products destined for polystyrene packaging in Europe by 2025.”
Trinseo and INEOS Styrolution are founding members of Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS), the value chain initiative to increase the circularity of styrenics.
Jens Kathmann, Secretary General of SCS, concluded: “The construction of a polystyrene depolymerisation plant is much awaited by the market and brings our joint vision one step closer to fruition … SCS, its members and partners are continuing to advance our food contact mechanical recycling and dissolution technologies that complement our portfolio of plastics-to-plastics recycling.”
