Chemicals and plastics giant Dow has announced a partnership with Mura that will see it source recycled plastic feedstock from the first hydrothermal recycling plant in Teesside.
Being built by Mura’s subsidiary ReNew ELP, the Teesside facility will be the first to use Mura’s HydroPRS (Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution). This technology uses supercritical steam to convert plastics back into the chemicals and oils from which they were made.
Dow will use materials from the plant to develop new, virgin-grade plastic for applications such as food packaging and other packaging.
A first line is expected to be operational in 2022 at the Teesside facility that will produce 20,000 tonnes per year, with an additional 60,000 tonnes per year expected to be produced following the completion of a further three lines.
Alongside its first plant in the UK, Mura has identified opportunities for more in Germany and United States, and is also looking at Asian markets in order to reach 1 million tonnes of capacity by 2025.
Dow Packaging and Speciality Plastics commercial director plastic circularity EMEA & APAC Carsten Larsen said: “We are delighted to offer our investment and expertise to support the development of this truly game-changing recycling process. We are committed to enacting real change to stop plastic going to waste and accelerate moves towards a circular economy.
“We know achieving this goal will take a major innovation and investment and we can’t do it alone. That’s why our partnership with Mura is so exciting and why we believe it will form a key pillar of our recycling strategy going forward.”
Mura Technology chief executive Steve Mahon added: “Plastic pollution is a global challenge and our goal is to meet it head on by recapturing millions of tonnes of plastic waste every year and put them to work again as a valuable resource for the world’s biggest brands.
“We’re changing the way the world thinks about plastics – not as something to throw away, but as a product that can be used over and over again, and sustainably without damaging our natural environment.
“Our partnership with Dow will help make this a reality for global brands and deliver a circular plastics economy globally within the next decade.”
