Page 90 - Plastics News December 2019

BusiNEss NEws

INEOS Styrolution and Agilyx Indorama acquires California

to build PS chemical recycling PET recycler Green Fiber
facility International

NEOS Styrolution has partnered with post-consumer ndorama has
Iplastics recycling company Agilyx to build a polystyrene Ia cqu ire d
(PS) chemical recycling facility in Channahon, Illinois, California based
US. Designed to process 100t of post-consumer PS PET recycler Green
every day, the new facility will convert the waste into Fiber International
styrene material suitable to use in new polystyrene that will give the
product manufacturing. The new facility will use Agilyx’s company a recycling
proprietary chemical recycling technology to break down presence on the
polystyrene to its molecular base monomers. With Agilyx’s West Coast for the
chemical recycling process, contaminated polystyrene first time.The move
can also be transformed into new, food-grade plastic follows the purchase
products or packaging. This encourages circular recycling of an Athens, Ala.-
economy. INEOS Styrolution Americas Standard Products based PET recycling
vice-president Ricardo Cuetos said: “This is an incredibly facility by Indorama almost a year ago.Green Fiber
exciting time to be in this industry. “Agilyx’s chemical adds 44,000 tons of PET recycling capacity per year for
recycling technology is a game-changer to advance Indorama. Green Fiber has just been making PET bottle
the circular recycling pathway of plastics. A benefit of flake for the West Coast packaging market since 2018
chemical recycling is there is no degradation over multiple operating in a 140,000-square-foot plant specializing
cycles. The polymers can continue to create new products in sorting, grinding and washing post-consumer PET
bottles into [post-consumer] flakes that's ready to be
over and over again of the same purity and performance of used in products that may have contact with food. "This
virgin polystyrene. “This plant will dramatically increase acquisition extends IVL's recycled flake supply chain
recycling rates in the greater Chicago area, dispelling to the West Coast, allowing us to further support the
the myth that polystyrene cannot be recycled. We are
efforts of our customers in the water and soft drinks
industry to ensure that PET bottles are recycled and
put to further use," Indorama said in a statement.
Indorama said the deal "is strategically in-line" with
the company's sustainability objects "and part of the
company's stated plan to invest significantly in recycling
over the next five years.""We strongly feel that this
acquisition will contribute to profitable future growth
in the sustainable recycling business with the potential
to expand further," Indorama Chief Recycling Officer
Yashovardhan Lohia said in a statement. Indorama
Corporation is one of Asia’s leading chemical holding
company. Along with its affiliate Indorama Ventures in
thrilled to partner with Agilyx on this project.” Agilyx Thailand, Indorama operates over 70 manufacturing
successfully completed the development programme for sites in over 30 countries and employs over 30,000
INEOS Styrolution with the selection of post-consumer people worldwide. Indorama Ventures is the largest
polystyrene feedstock. The styrene product meets INEOS producer of polyester products in the world with plants
specifications. The project’s next phase involves the in five continents and also one of the biggest producer
engineering and design of the facility. of polyester feedstocks.

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