INEOS Inovyn has launched two new PVC pilot plants at the company’s Jemeppe-sur-Sambre site in Belgium, to accelerate technologies for recycling PVC which is not mechanically recyclable today. This project forms part of a strategic ‘Project Circle’ initiative, which aims to commission an industrial unit with a 40,000 tons recyclable capacity by 2030.
Geir Tuft, CEO INEOS Inovyn said, ‘PVC is one of the most recycled polymers in Europe, but reaching full circularity remains a complex challenge for our industry. Project Circle is an ambitious step in developing advanced new solutions and supporting Europe’s green transition.’
Across Europe around 30% of PVC waste is currently mechanically recycled. Project Circle ambitiously targets the remaining waste which cannot be mechanically recycled, by developing new technologies including dissolution, pyrolysis and gasification.
Inovyn’s goal is to make all PVC waste recyclable and aim to have our first industrial unit ready by 2030. These new units draw on Vinyloop’s technology experience from 2002 to 2018, and are designed to upgrade PVC dissolution technology which supports the recycling of complex PVC waste, including legacy additives.
Industry wide collaboration plays an important part of Project Circle and to support this, Inovyn has joined two Belgium consortiums. The first ‘CIRC-PVC’ covers the entire chain, from collecting PVC waste at construction-demolition sites to the production of rejuvenated PVC not containing legacy additives.
This brings together industrial partners and experts from across different stages of the value chain: Entreprises Générales Louis Duchêne, Vanheede Environmental Logistics, ROVI-TECH, ECO-DEC, Avient Corporation’s Belgium site, Centexbel, the University of Liège and INEOS Inovyn.
The second consortium ‘DISSOLV’ will drive the development for PVC waste from flooring, carpets and tarpaulin applications which cannot be recycled today, due to the presence of textile fibers and legacy additives. Its members include Beaulieu International Group, Sioen Industries, Empire Carpets International, ExxonMobil, Centexbel and INEOS Inovyn.