PureCycle Technologies transforms end-of-life carpet into its UPRP resin

PureCycle Technologies, Chicago, has announced that it has transformed end-of-life carpet into Ultra-Pure Recycled Polypropylene (UPRP) resin with its feedstock evaluation unit (FEU), which uses proprietary plastics recycling technology developed and invented by Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati. The company says the technology will lead to a substantial increase in demand for end-of-life polypropylene (PP) and will help to provide alternatives to landfilling and exporting this material.

The FEU is the first of two phases of development taking place at PureCycle’s plant in Hanging Rock, Ohio. The second phase, which the company says will come online in the summer of 2021, will process 119 million pounds of end-of-life PP annually. The plant is expected to produce more than 105 million pounds of virgin-like PP per year, which will be used in consumer goods packaging, home furnishings and other applications that currently have very limited recycled PP options today. PureCycle says it also is working toward submitting for a letter of nonobjection from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its UPRP to be used in food-contact applications.

“There is an overwhelming demand for high-quality recycled polypropylene, and this milestone is a huge step for us—and the industry—toward addressing a growing market that is demanding recycled applications,” says Mike Otworth, CEO of PureCycle Technologies. “This achievement not only proves the technology at scale but also builds on the momentum of the business as we move closer towards scaling operations beyond our first plant.”

The development of the technology began when P&G was looking for more ways to incorporate additional recycled content into its applications, specifically targeting PP. With limited amounts of recycled PP available in the market, P&G set out to develop its own process to recycle this material.

The PureCycle process removes color, odor and impurities, producing virgin-like resin, the company says. The company says demand for recycled PP is so high, PureCycle’s output from its first plant is fully contracted and the company has begun site selection for our large-scale operation in Europe.

"Our approach to innovation not only includes products and packaging but technologies that allow us and others to have a positive impact on our environment,” says Kathy Fish, P&G chief research, development and innovation officer. “This technology, which can remove virtually all contaminants and colors from used plastic, has the capacity to revolutionize the plastics recycling industry by enabling P&G and companies around the world to tap into sources of recycled plastics that deliver nearly identical performance and properties as virgin materials in a broad range of applications.”

While the FEU is located at the first plant’s site, it is a perpetual asset that will allow PureCycle to refine the operating conditions and process PP scrap from around the world to help with the sizing for future plants in other geographies, the company says. PureCycle’s first plant will process a broad range of feedstocks, ranging from carpet and food packaging to toys, automotive components and other forms of end-of-life plastics.

"This milestone exemplifies our team's incredible dedication and drive to bring this world-changing technology to life,” Tayt Rule, COO of PureCycle Technologies. “Our progress continues to break barriers as we head towards commercial scale, and I could not be prouder of the team making it happen.”

PureCycle Technologies is a portfolio company of Chicago-based Innventure, a Wasson Enterprise Partnership.