Itero lands €5M in EU funding to accelerate Dutch plastic waste recycling with thermal cracking tech

26 Feb 2024 --- Itero has been awarded €5 million (US$5.4 million) by the EU’s Just Transition Fund (JTF) for its demonstration plant at Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Limburg, the Netherlands.

The JTF is designed to support a “fair and equitable” transition to a climate-neutral economy, enabling European regions dependent on fossil-based income and employment to transition to a low-carbon energy future, says Itero. 

The demonstration plant will process 27 kilotons of plastic waste annually, five times the plastic waste collected by the city of Maastricht per year while offsetting over 20 kilotons of fossil resources yearly, the equivalent of offsetting nearly 500 barrels (approximately 79,494 liters) of oils used daily to create plastic. 

Geoff Smith, chief technology officer at Itero, tells Packaging Insights that the company’s  takes plastic waste and processes it primarily into an oil that can substitute naphtha, which is typically used in virgin plastic production. 

“To put it simply, our process first screens incoming waste plastic feedstock, then using thermal cracking, we convert waste plastic into smaller hydrocarbons, followed by separating hydrocarbon product fractions by condensation, ensuring they meet customer specifications.”

Itero processes plastic waste with its patented pyrolysis technology.Boosting Dutch recycling
In patented pyrolysis technologythe Netherlands, 55% of plastic packaging is incinerated, with some residual flows lost to the environment, damaging ecosystems. Pyrolysis of mixed plastic waste can deliver a 44% reduction in global warming potential compared to conventional fossil-based systems, where plastic waste is incinerated, explains Itero. 

The process simultaneously diverts plastic waste destined for incineration or landfill while offsetting virgin fossil resources traditionally used to produce plastics. 

Itero’s CEO Simon Hansford says: “Working at Brightlands allows us to move our technology to its next phase with incredible talent, support and opportunity for sustainable innovation. It’s critical that sustainable technology has the right enabling conditions to flourish, this is what Brightlands and the JTF grant are creating for us.” 

The company’s plant further supports the aims of the JTF by creating approximately 40 full-time jobs that accelerate the transition from the petrochemical industry into a “world-leading” circular plastics hub, retaining expertise in the Limburg region. The integration of circular economy businesses into the Limburg area will attract further investment into the region.

For its demonstration plant, Itero was previously awarded a grant from the Dutch Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) and a €6 million investment (US$6.5 million) led by Infinity Recycling’s Circular Plastics Fund.

By Natalie Schwertheim