NextChem, chemical company Röhm, acrylic and polycarbonate sheet and film maker Polyvantis, and PMMA recycler Pekutherm have formed an alliance to advance PMMA recycling in Europe.
PMMA, also known as acrylic glass, has excellent optical and physical properties. It is used for glazing applications in, for example, caravans, facades, furniture, and vehicle tail lights, but is also found in flat screens, neon signs, jewellery and more. Around 300,000 tonnes of PMMA are produced in Europe alone each year of which just 10% is being collected for recycling.
The new alliance aims to increase the amounts of waste PMMA collected and recycled across the old continent.
Germany-based Pekutherm will coordinate collection logistics. The mechanical recycler has a footprint in Denmark and Finland in addition to Germany. Last July, it announced plans to expand its operations to Italy, Spain, France and the Baltic states. It aims to double its recycling volume to 10,000 tonnes/year by 2027.
Pekutherm operates a PMMA collection service called Ecobox. Clients can order Ecoboxes, fill them with PMMA or polycarbonate (PC) scrap, and have them picked up free of charge.
At its Geisenheim plant in Germany, Pekutherm meticulously separates the plastic waste by hand. As part of the alliance, the company will separate the collected scrap and waste by type, which will then pass through a multi-step sorting process and grinded into a defined geometry. Pekutherm will process both post-industrial and post-consumer PMMA waste.
Röhm and Polyvants will further process the recyclate before using it as raw material in rPMMA production.
MyRemono, NextChem’s recycling subsidiary, will chemically recycle waste not suited for mechanical recycling. NextChem acquired a controlling stake in MyRemono in 2023 as part of its acquisition of Biorenova’s proprietary continuous chemical recycling process known as CATC.
The company will depolymerise PPMA waste into pure MMA using continuous catalytic technology, now renamed as NXRe.
MyRemono is building an industrial scale using the technology with a processing capacity of 5,000 tonnes of PMMA per year. The facility is expected to be completed in 2026.
“We invite all processors, customers and consumers of PMMA in Europe to become part of our network,” said Heiko Pfister, managing director at Pekutherm.
Source: sustainableplastics.com
