Italian firms Eni, Versalis and the National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging (COREPLA) have signed an agreement to focus on non-mechanically recyclable mixed plastics.
The partnership aims to provide a practical and sustainable solution to the recovery of plastic packaging waste for all of Italy.
While half of the plastics collected for recycling in Italy are mechanically recycled into new products, the remainder is used as a fuel in cement kilns, or goes to energy from waste plants or landfill.
The agreement between the oil giant Eni, its plastics subsidiary Versalis and COREPLA will study how these mixed plastics collected by the latter, that are not recycled, can be recycled.
These partners plan to use their expertise in the fields of gasification and chemical recycling by pyrolysis.
Versalis is currently designing a chemical recycling plant that will be built in Mantua, along with other mechanical recycling initiatives.
A second agreement has been signed between Eni and COREPLA to etablish the feasibility of recovering end-of-life plastics at the innovative plants that Eni is looking into for its Venice bio-refinery in Porto Marghera and at its Livorno refinery for the production of hydrogen and methanol obtained from gasification.
Versalis chief executive Daniele Ferrari said: “This agreement, which establishes synergies between our respective technological expertise and a wide-reaching industry alliance, will allow us to develop a circular model for plastics at a national level in order to get the very best value out of them even once they become difficult to recycle mechanically.
“Today’s waste is becoming a precious and sustainable raw material for tomorrow.”
