By harnessing innovative chemical conversion technologies and sustainable supply chains, this endeavor has the potential to repurpose plastic waste into top-tier materials while mitigating environmental impact.
On August 25, 2023, Beckers, a prominent global coatings company, unveiled its collaboration with suppliers to infuse recycled plastic components into its coating products. The capability to upcycle discarded plastic into fresh raw materials presents an opportunity to drive circularity and curtail emissions.
Beckers is joining forces with BioBTX and Symeres to establish a supply network for sustainable aromatic monomers derived from plastic waste. BioBTX has pioneered a method to convert waste plastic into BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene), which is subsequently transformed into aromatic ortho-phthalic acid monomers through Symeres' oxidation process. Beckers can utilize these monomers for resin production.
A crucial ingredient for manufacturing polyester resins, ortho-phthalic acid anhydride constitutes a substantial portion, around 40-50%, of the resin composition. The ortho-phthalic acid anhydride generated through this innovative method offers an eco-friendly alternative to the conventionally used petroleum-derived counterpart.
The project involves deploying diverse advanced sustainable chemical conversion technologies to process mixed plastic waste into sustainable chemical building blocks, culminating in high-value products. This incorporates the utilization of a distinctive integrated cascade catalytic pyrolysis (ICCP) technology, which converts mixed plastic waste and biomass into aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene, toluene, and xylene. Beckers is particularly interested in xylene due to its potential to be oxidized into monomers such as ortho-phthalic acid anhydride for coatings.
Julien Marquiant, Resin Laboratory Manager at Beckers, noted, "The utilization of ortho-phthalic acid anhydride from plastic waste for roll coating is an unprecedented achievement. This groundbreaking advancement significantly contributes to the production of more sustainable resins and coatings. It indeed revolutionizes our approach, enabling the incorporation of high-quality materials sourced from plastic waste."
Ton Vries, Managing Director at BioBTX, emphasized, "For a comprehensive circular economy, diverse carbon resources must replace the current reliance on fossil resources. The collaboration with Beckers underscores the feasibility of circular solutions when stakeholders across different industries collaborate. In this instance, the collaboration not only addresses plastic waste growth but also substitutes the demand for fossil resources."
In addition to transforming large quantities of plastic waste into high-value goods, preliminary estimations suggest that this process could reduce carbon emissions in white coatings by at least 10% compared to using virgin raw materials. Beckers will assess the quality and suitability of ortho-phthalic acid anhydride produced by Symeres using BioBTX xylene. Symeres is actively seeking potential partners to develop and license this technology within the next three to five years.
This collaboration holds promising sustainability advantages and underscores the significance of cross-industry cooperation in realizing circular solutions.