Nova Chemicals announced today the opening of its Canadian Centre of Excellent for Plastics Circularity.
The Calgary-based company wants to create a ‘thriving ecosystem’ for global plastics circularity, led by North American industry players and Canadian research institutions.
The centre will focus on research and development collaboration across disciplines as well as on value/chain integrated solutions. It is intended to act as a hub where industry, academia, and government experts come together to accelerate and deliver practical and scalable technologies.
“We welcome innovators from across Canada and beyond to join us in developing scalable solutions for the world’s most complex plastics challenges,” said Roger Kearns, President and CEO at Nova Chemicals. “Nova has an established reputation for working with others to spearhead innovation, and we are excited to continue bridging gaps between leading-edge ideas and commercially viable technologies.”
With the centre’s opening, Nova is launching a call for expression of interest targeting Canadian research institutions working on mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and microplastics. Applications are open until April 19.
The mechanical recycling project is seeking solutions for improved sorting and/or improved impurity extraction of polyethylene; establishing reliable analytical methodologies to validate regulatory and food contact compliance; and elevating the performance and quality of mechanically recycled polyethylene.
The chemical recycling project will focus on non-catalytic scission of polyolefins, and optimising thermal conversion methods.
As for microplastics, the centre is looking for methods to prevent the formation of microplastics; novel approaches for tracing and capturing microplastics; and analytical methods for accurate and reliable detection of microplastics in process streams.
Nova said the centre will also play a central role in supporting its 2030 Roadmap, including the goal to achieve 30% recycled content as a share of its total polyethylene sales by 2030.
Source: sustainableplastics.com
