Borealis is installing a semi-commercial demonstration compounding line for recyclate-based polyolefins in Beringen, intended to convert post-consumer waste into rigid polypropylene and polyethylene and help customers incorporate recycled plastics into their product lines.
Expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2025, the state-of-the-art line will utilize Borealis’ Borcycle M recycling technology; this is designed to turn mechanically recycled post-consumer waste into high-quality rigid materials, increase recyclate quality for demanding applications, and lower carbon footprints.
The company adds that its new line will be versatile and flexible, as it can reportedly process a range of recyclate flakes sourced from polypropylene and high-density polyethylene waste.
It is hoped that the line will prove Borcycle M’s capability to produce mechanically recycled solutions to meet the demands of consumer products, appliances, mobility, energy, and other high-performance industrial applications. The recyclate produced is set to be incorporated into customers’ product lines without impacting their performance.
Furthermore, Borealis intends to expand its overall capacity for recyclate processing and compounding. The operational experience and technological insight gained is expected to help the company scale up the technology in the future.
“At Borealis, we are dedicated to supporting our customers to meet their sustainability goals while maintaining exceptionally high quality standards,” says Mirjam Mayer, vice president Circular Economy Solutions. “This represents another step in Borealis’ EverMinds ambition to deepen our expertise in giving plastic waste a new life in high-value applications.”
Further efforts to close the loop on plastics include Borealis’ has acquisition of recycled polypropylene compound producer Rialti, a move hoped to boost its portfolio with 50,000 tons of mechanically recycled polypropylene compounds every year.
It has also acquired advanced mechanical recycler Integra in a bid to boost its recycling capacity by over 20,000 tons, further support its EverMinds commitment, and meet consumer demand for sustainability-minded materials.
In other news, we recently spoke to Nextek about its new demonstration plant, funded by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which intends to test Nextek’s water-free cleaning process to convert post-consumer PO films into food-grade materials at commercial scale.
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:
How are the top brands progressing on packaging sustainability?
The ultimate guide to global plastic sustainability regulation
No comments yet