Japanese JV Invests in Anellotech Process
A newly formed Japanese joint-venture company is investing in Anellotech’s Plas-TCat plastics recycling process, with the aim of commercializing the technology by 2027.R Plus Japan was established last month by 12 cross-industry partners within the Japanese plastics supply chain.
The partners includes Suntory Monozukuri Expert, Toyobo, Rengo, Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, J&T Recycling, Asahi Group Holdings; Iwatani Corp, Dai Nippon Printing, Toppan Printing, Fuji Seal International, Hokkaican and Yoshino Kogyosho.
Suntory began collaborating with Anellotech in 2012 to develop the Bio-TCat process for making aromatics from pine wood. This process has been extensively demonstrated with loblolly pine feedstocks at Antellotech’s pilot plant in Silsbee, Texas, USA. Engineering work to design the first commercial plant is now in progress with French joint development partners IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN) and Axens.
The US green technology company announced last December that it was adapting its Bio-TCat process to create Plas-TCat, a one-step thermal catalytic process with the potential to convert mixed plastic waste, including composite films and other difficult-to-recycle materials, into aromatics and olefins.
In February, Anellotech revealed that a laboratory demonstration of Plas-TCat had successfully converted a multilayer potato chip bag into PX, the main feedstock for making PET. The conversion was also said to produce high yields of benzene, toluene and olefins.
The company explained that from the same plastic feedstock, the Plas-TCat process can be adjusted to two different production modes, including Hi-Olefins, which emphasizes the production of olefins such as ethylene and propylene, and Hi-BTX, for the most part to produce aromatics such as benzene, toluene, xylenes and PX.
