Versalis launches Hoop to chemically recycle plastic waste

Eni chemical company Versalis has launched a chemical recycling project for mixed plastics called Hoop.

The project aims to develop a new chemical recycling technology for plastic waste.

As part of the project, the chemical company and Italian engineering company Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo (S.R.S.) have reached a joint development agreement.

The partners will work on further developing S.R.S’s pyrolysis technology to convert mixed plastic waste into raw material.

The material will then be used to manufacture new virgin polymers.

As part of the agreement, the company will build a plant at the Mantova site in Italy to process the waste. The facility will have an annual capacity of 6,000t a year.

Versalis CEO Daniele Ferrari said: “This project confirms Versalis’ strategy to develop a chemical recycling technology that complements mechanical recycling technology, which the company is already engaged in with the goal to give new life to plastic waste.

“The Hoop project aims to create a theoretically endless plastic recycling process, producing new virgin polymers suitable for all applications and that are identical to polymers that come from fossil raw materials.”

In October 2019, Versalis launched a new line of products made from recycled plastic called Versalis Revive.

Developed as part of the line, the products are based on different polymers and contain low and high-density polyethene-based compounds.