Page 63 - Plastics News August - 2023

TECHNOLOGY

Gr3n to build 'first-of-a-kind' manufacturing plant for microwave assisted
depolymerisation
also had the opportunity to perform
the basic engineering of the industrial
plant, thus we are well acquainted
with the technology which we firmly
believe is now ready to level up”.
“We're really thrilled to see all the
great things gr3n is up to and how
they've been pushing the boundaries
of technology, and we believe that
gr3n's technology will be a key player
in the path towards the closed loop
of PET sector. Our partnership with
gr3n reflects our focus on accelerating
the implementation of Intecsa's deep
r3n claims that its goal of being dustry and the entire polyester value will be a game changer”, said Ernesto
Gthe world's leading supplier of chain. Many efforts have been made De La Serna, Director of New De-
enhanced recycled polyethylene tere- in the past to transfer enhanced re- velopments and Innovation at Intecsa
phthalate (PET) is closer to becom- cycling from research laboratories to Industrial. The company says that the
ing a reality, thanks to the signing of a the manufacturing industry, but the world's first industrial-scale MADE
binding Memorandum of Understand- economics and skepticism of the first PET recycling plant will have a capa-
ing (MOU) with its shareholder Intec- adopters have constantly blocked the bility to process post-industrial and
sa Industrial to set up a Joint Venture. progress of the proposed solutions. post-consumer PET waste including
Gr3n together with Intecsa Industrial Thanks to the MADE technology hard-to-recycle waste, to produce
will join forces and build a "First-of-a- developed by gr3n, this approach is approximately 40.000 tons of virgin
Kind" (FOAK) manufacturing facility, now feasible and makes gr3n one of PET chips from the recycled mono-
commencing EPC phase in Q4-2024 the few companies with the potential mers saving nearly 2 million tons of
and aiming to be operational in 2027. to provide a reliable enhanced recy- CO2 during its operating life.
“This is a huge step for gr3n, as it will cling solution that closes the life cy- The post- consumer and/or post-in-
allow us to grow even more, show- cle of PET and also offers food grade dustrial polyesters will be both from
ing enhanced recycling is something polymer material, processes a large bottles (coloured, colourless, trans-
tangible and that it is possible to bring variety of waste and reduces carbon parent, opaque) and textiles (100%
MADE, our Microwave Assisted De- footprint of these materials usually polyester but also mixtures of other
polymerization, to market,” said Mau- destined for incineration or landfill. materials like PU, cotton, polyether,
rizio Crippa, gr3n Founder and Chief “Gr3n has the potential to change the polyurea, etc. with up to 30% of
Executive Officer. “Shareholders have recycling industry, as their technology presence in the raw textile).
the full view on gr3n’s operations, so allows us to tackle things other tech- The technical concept of the MADE
moving forward with one of them is nologies cannot,” said Ramiro Prieto, plant is to break down PET into its
further confirmation of their trust but Commercial and New Business Units main components (monomers) so
also of the strength of the data and Director at Intecsa Industrial. This they can potentially be re-polymer-
the results generated”. means expanding the raw material ized endlessly to provide brand new
Gr3n's claims that its process has the that can be recycled, then accelerating virgin PET or any other polymer using
potential to change the way PET is the transition to the circular economy. one of the monomers.
recycled worldwide, enabling huge As Industrial partner and shareholder,
benefits for both the recycling in- we are part of the board but we have

PLASTICS NEWS 6363
August 2023
August 2023 PLASTICS NEWS