Ineos Styrolution, Trinseo advance polystyrene recycling plant in France

Ineos Styrolution, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and Trinseo, global manufacturers of polystyrene (PS) and other styrenic materials based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, have advanced their plans to build a PS recycling plant based on depolymerization in Wingles, which is in northern France.

According to a news release from Ineos Styrolution, the commercial-scale recycling facility will be able to process up to 50 tons per day of postconsumer PS feedstock and is expected to be fully operational by mid-2023.

Ineos Styrolution reports that the plastics-to-plastics depolymerization technology converts PS food packaging scrap directly back into its original liquid monomer, which then can be repolymerized into recycled PS for the same high-quality end applications, including food-contact applications, much like virgin PS. Both Ineos Styrolution and Trinseo are considering two technology concepts from Agilyx and Recycling Technologies will be evaluated with regard to quality, efficiency and adaptation to different waste streams.

“We are excited to move to the next phase of engineering of this plant, as we are well on track to deploy the game-changing depolymerization technology with the construction of this recycling plant in France,” says Nicolas Joly, vice president of Plastics & Feedstocks at Trinseo and president of Styrenics Circular Solutions. “This plant will be part of establishing a novel recycling infrastructure for styrenics in Europe together with key players from across the entire value chain, which will mark a step change in polystyrene recycling.”

“Our collaboration between Trinseo and Ineos Styrolution is a significant commitment of capital and resources and a major milestone in truly closing the loop with food-grade recycled content,” says Sven Riechers, vice president of business management and standard products EMEA at Ineos Styrolution. “It forms part of Ineos Styrolution’s and Trinseo’s commitments to use, on average, 30 percent recycled content in products destined for polystyrene packaging in Europe by 2025.”