Energy transition company NextChem has finished construction of its first demonstration PET chemical recycling plant in Italy.
The subsidiary of industrial company Maire Tecnimont has completed the plant at Chieti in Italy.
This facility is part of the European Union’s DEMETO project that uses microwave technology to depolymerise. Both PET and polyester textiles are recycled using alkaline hydrolysis and microwaves to chemically recycle the materials.
It is funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 programme with NextChem as coordinator of 14 partners including SINDOX UK, H&M Group and others.
Various polymers will be tested at the plant, which is capable of recycling almost 100% of the input material with a total volume of 1 million kg per year.
It has also been supported by an Industrial Advisory Board, which includes companies such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, Oviesse, Danone, Henkel and others.
NextChem and Maire Tecnimont Group chief executive Pierroberto Folgiero said: “We are convinced that this technology can contribute to improve a circular economy model on an industrial scale.”
The full list of companies and organisations involved in the project is: NextChem, 3V Tech, SPINDOX UK, Technical University of Denmark, The European Outdoor Group, EuPC, The Fricke and Mallah GmbH, gr3n, H&M Group, NEOGROUP, RECUPRENDA, PETCIA, SUPSI, Synesis.
