The companies said their collaboration will work to address the growing demand for recycled content in the 30 million t/y PET market.

“KTS has a long history in the polyester industry, and we recognize the value proposition of this disruptive technology that will fundamentally change how recycling is done,” said Adam Sackett, president of KTS. “With an aligned vision on the future of PET recycling, we’re excited to launch this partnership with Ioniqa and leverage our complementary capabilities to advance solutions which are tailored to the needs of the market.”

As part of the collaboration, KTS will invest up to €30 million in Ioniqa, which has developed a process that transforms low-grade post-consumer PET back into feedstock for producing polyester products. Ioniqa has already successfully demonstrated its technology in a 10,000 t/y facility at the Brightlands Chemelot campus in Geleen, the Netherlands.

Ioniqa’s founder and CEO Tonnis Hooghoudt said the partnership with KTS is “a major stepping stone for the company in commercializing its technology on a global level.” He commented: “Our expertise in breaking down plastic waste into virgin-like monomers matches seamlessly with KTS’ track record in designing and licensing PET production processes worldwide. We believe that together we can meet the strong market demand for recycled PET materials by jointly providing licenses and cleaning up the planet.”

The Eindhoven-based firm has also been working with consumer goods and drinks giants Unilever and Coca-Cola respectively, as well as leading polyester producer Indorama.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist