INEOS Styrolution has announced a collaboration with Indaver, a European waste management company with large-scale treatment facilities in the port of Antwerp, driving forward chemical recycling for polystyrene in Europe.
The collaboration between the two companies aims at taking advantage of the recyclability of polystyrene to convert post-consumer waste into valuable resources.
Stefan Hahn
It will benefit from Indaver’s intense testing of its depolymerisation and purification process and Indaver’s plans to set up Plastics2Chemcials, a demo installation in the port of Antwerp, with a recycling capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year.
Indaver has a strong track record providing strong solutions to the chemical industry, and its close location to the INEOS Styrolution site in Antwerp help contribute to the close collaboration.
The initial focus of the collaboration will be to fully align the output of Indaver’s depolymerisation process with feedstock specifications of INEOS Styrolution’s polymerisation process.
Paul De Bruycker, CEO of Indaver, said: “Waste is not an end product. It is a phase in the lifecycle of a material. With the innovative Plastics2Chemicals project, Indaver develops a sustainable solution for plastic waste by recycling into high-grade materials.”
“We are pleased to work with INEOS Styrolution as one of our preferred partners to use these recycled materials as a valuable alternative for virgin raw materials. This project is an example of the industry’s sustained commitment to help achieve the European objectives in valorising plastics.”
Rob Buntinx, President for EMEA at INEOS Styrolution, said: “Driving the circular economy for polystyrene forward is at the centre of our activities at INEOS Styrolution.”
“We believe that chemical recycling is a key cornerstone contributing to reducing post-consumer waste. I am excited to have found such a strong partner in Europe sharing our objectives and complementing our own skills.”