igus investments pave the way for innovative plastics recycling technology

Use instead of waste: With the “Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution” (HydroPRS), plastic waste that would otherwise pollute the environment can be made usable again as a valuable raw material through chemical recycling within 25 minutes. To advance this revolutionary technology worldwide, motion plastics specialist igus is now increasing its investment in Mura Technology to around 5 million euros. Another major industrial company, KBR entered into a partnership with Mura in January.

It is one of the most pressing challenges of our time: eight million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year; moreover, a large proportion of plastics are incinerated and only 14 percent of global packaging waste is recycled. An economic loss of $80 billion per year is incurred. At the same time, new plastic is continuously being produced from fossil fuels, with high CO2 emissions. This use already accounts for six percent of global oil production, which is expected to increase to 20 percent by 2050. With the “Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution” (HydroPRS), a groundbreaking new technology is now in the starting blocks, enabling the entry into a sustainable circular economy for plastics. HydroPRS has the potential to recycle all types of plastic and prevent plastic from being burned or landfilled and polluting the environment. Estimates suggest that every ton of plastic processed through advanced recycling saves 1.5 tons of CO2 compared to incineration. To convert plastic waste into valuable chemicals and oil, HydroPRS. uses Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor technology (Cat-HTR) developed by Licella Holdings Ltd. The method resorts to water, heat and pressure and is of particular interest where mechanical recycling has not been successful to date, such as with contaminated and mixed plastics.

Valuable resource instead of harmful waste

This potential has excited the motion plastics specialist igus. As early as last year, the Cologne-based company therefore invested in a company that plans to put the first commercial HydroPRS plant into operation in 2022. Now igus has increased its investment in Mura Technology to a total of five million euros. “We know about the great possibilities that plastic has. Millions of times our tribopolymers are used in moving applications all over the world, where they reduce weight, maintenance and lubrication,” says Frank Blase, Managing Director of igus GmbH. “We are working together to make plastic a material that helps our world, not harms it, through nearly 100 percent recycling.” Mechanical recycling is an important step in this direction. For example, igus has already been regranulating 99 percent of the plastic waste generated in production for over 50 years. At the end of 2019, the company additionally initiated the chainge program: igus takes back energy chains regardless of manufacturer at the end of a machine’s life, pays with a goods voucher, regranulates the plastic and then processes it again. “In the future, chemical recycling can play out its advantages where classic recycling does not get anywhere. That’s why we’re supporting Mura in this start-up phase to help this groundbreaking technology achieve a global breakthrough.”

Global success through investment and cooperation

Mura Technology has now also succeeded in bringing KBR on board as an exclusive licensing partner for further global expansion. KBR, with its 28,0000 employees, is active in more than 80 countries, including as a designer, plant builder and operator of refineries and chemical plants. “We knew that as a start-up company we had developed a highly innovative and promising technology,” notes Oliver Borek, Managing Director Europe at Mura Technology. “However, we were also aware that we would never be able to roll it out on a large scale on our own. Thanks to igus’ investment in this crucial phase, as well as the establishment and expansion of further partnerships, we now have exactly that opportunity.” Construction is currently beginning on the first HydroPRS plant by Mura at the UK industrial site of Wilton International, which is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2022. A total of four HydroPRS reactors will be built there to process more than 80,000 tons of plastic waste annually. In addition, further plants are planned in Germany and the USA, among other countries, as well as in Asia.

You can see how plastic can be recycled with HydroPRS in the video at: https://youtu.be/eouFBpVVGEQ

For more information, please visit: https://www.igus.de/