Trinseo launches advanced recycling plant in Italy for PMMA depolymerization

13 Dec 2023 --- Specialty material provider Trinseo is launching a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerization plant in Rho, Italy. PMMA, used in various packaging applications, will be transformed through an advanced recycling and purification process. 

Scheduled to be commissioned in Q1 2024, the depolymerization operation will be designed to enable the recycling of end-of-life PMMA and other difficult-to-recycle structures, which will ultimately be used to produce acrylic resins, sheets and compounds containing recycled materials. 

“Innovation in recycling technologies is imperative to effectively recycle various types of materials. This new facility is yet another major achievement towards a scalable system with the goal of making PMMA a truly circular material of high quality,” says Trinseo’s chief sustainability officer, Francesca Reverberi. 

“When combined with our own in-house sourcing and treatment of collected materials through our Heathland recycling operation, our PMMA depolymerization plant will offer a high-performance solution for a world increasingly looking for new ways to address sustainability in the plastics supply chain,” adds Reverberi.

Trinseo says recycled PMMA will be more readily available following the launch.Depolymerization 
Depolymerization is a chemical recycling technology that reduces polymers to their constituent monomers. This allows for the recycling of a wider variety of PMMA-based materials, supporting increased recycled content and overall recycling rates and a reduced manufacturing demand for virgin materials.

The company claims that Trinseo’s depolymerization facility is being developed around a “continuous recovery model” to produce high-quality recycled PMMA that matches the quality of its virgin counterpart. 

Introducing recycled monomers into the plastics supply chain is intended to support achieving targets for lowering carbon emissions, reducing water consumption, and conserving natural resources. 

Recycled PMMA can also be used by a range of industries and for products ranging from car lamps to signage and more.

The material produced using the depolymerization process will be integrated as part of Trinseo’s distinctive “R-Life” portfolio designed around a commitment to sustainability, covering both mechanically and chemically recycled PMMA grades. 

These products are usually applied to mobility, construction and consumer goods.

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton