Chemical recycling leader transforms end-of-life plastic waste into recycled oil to produce new products
A pioneering partnership between Siemens and global chemical recycling expert Plastic Energy is helping divert plastic waste from landfills and incineration.
Plastic Energy is innovating the plastic waste landscape with a recycling process which transforms end-of-life plastics into recycled oils that can be used to make new plastic products such as food-grade packaging.
The patented technology is currently used in two plants in Spain where Siemens’ automation and measurement technology, including SIMATIC PCS 7 and COMOS MRO, ensure the smooth running of control systems and overcomes the challenge of a complex mix of material consistency.
Now, to meet growing demand for plastic recycling, Plastic Energy is building several larger facilities across Europe, Asia and the US, starting with one in The Netherlands with partner SABIC. These plants will be significantly upscaled and feature Siemens’ end-to-end technology solutions, including Distributed Control Systems (DCS), process instrumentation and low voltage switchgear in the form of SIVACON S8 technology.
The long-term collaboration will enable Plastic Energy to continually evolve its technology and process, implementing improvements for better efficiencies and product quality, and achieve flexibility and scalability for its plant designs.
Plastic Energy is also working with Siemens to unlock further potential using a digital twin. This powerful tool creates a virtual model to give better insights and closed loop optimisation of both process and plant performance.
Steve Leech, Business Manager for Siemens Process Control Systems, said: “We have viewed working with Plastic Energy as a long-term partnership from the beginning of our relationship, which brings together the process and industry knowledge of Plastic Energy, with our innovative technology portfolio.
“The result is a process plant that is flexible and provides the opportunity for value-add use of the data provided, through using SIMATIC PCS 7 and our instrumentation platforms.
“It is great to be involved with a company so focused on sustainability and contributing to a positive impact on the environment through recycling of plastic waste.”
The durability of plastics creates a serious problem for the environment. Roughly one-third of the world’s plastic packaging waste ends up in the oceans or in unmanaged dumps on land.
Meanwhile, more than 50 percent of collected plastics end up in landfill, or incinerated, meaning valuable resources are disposed of in unsustainable ways. Then there is the challenge of what to do with the plastic waste that cannot be mechanically recycled, such as films and flexibles.
Plastic Energy developed a TAC™ recycling process, which converts plastic waste into a valuable substance called TACOIL™, which serves as a feedstock to produce new plastics. TACOIL™ has been incorporated into more than 10 products and packaging on the European market from brands such as Unilever, Tupperware and L’OCCITANE en Provence.
Through Plastic Energy’s processing, plastic waste becomes a resource itself, with dedicated procedures for recycling that tackle the global challenges of disposal and benefit the circular economy.
Plastic Energy’s goal is to recycle five million tonnes of plastic waste by 2030.
Carlos Monreal, CEO at Plastic Energy, headquartered in London, said: “Through our unique and patented technology and our long-proven process we achieve two important results: we prevent depletion of natural resources while simultaneously diverting plastics from incineration and landfill, thus protecting the environment from plastic pollution by decreasing the volume of end-of-life plastic waste that could end up as plastic pollution.
“Utilising Siemens automation and processing software is important to ensure that our recycling plants are operating to their full potential, and that we are able to continue to recycle as much plastic waste as possible.”
For further information, please contact:
Anne Keogh at Siemens anne.keogh@siemens.com (07808 823545)
Melanie Antao Fernandes at Antao Greer Communications melanie@antaogreer.com (07424 487033)
Stuart Greer at Antao Greer Communications stuart@antaogreer.com (07799 289650)
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Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power.
In fiscal 2021, which ended on September 30, 2021, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €62.3 billion and net income of €6.7 billion. As of September 30, 2021, the company had around 303,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
Plastic Energy is a global leader in chemical recycling, offering a sustainable solution to help prevent plastic waste, transforming previously unrecyclable plastic waste into a valuable resource. Our patented and proven chemical recycling technology converts end-of-life plastic waste into an optimal feedstock (TACOIL™) for making virgin-quality recycled plastics. Plastic Energy currently has two chemical recycling plants that are in constant operation in Spain and is one of the few companies worldwide that has sold TACOIL™ from the conversion of end-of-life plastic waste to replace fossil oils in the manufacturing of new plastics. We are leading our field in the transition to a low-carbon circular economy for plastics. Learn more on our website, and follow us on Twitter and Linkedin.
Press inquiries: press@plasticenergy.com
