Versalis builds demo plant for chemical recycling technology in Mantua
Versalis, a fully-owned subsidiary of Eni, began the construction of a demo plant in Mantua to develop Hoop, a proprietary technology for chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste.
Versalis construction site for plastics chemical recycling plant opens in Mantua. (Source: Eni)
Hoop stems from a joint project with Research and Development Services, an Italian engineering company.
The venture aims at developing an innovative technology that complements mechanical recycling by transforming mixed plastic waste into raw materials to produce new virgin polymers.
The demo plant will have a capacity to handle 6,000 tons of secondary raw materials, and is schedule to be up and running by the end of 2024.
The technology, Hoop, is aimed to evoke circularity, and has been integrated with the plastics pyrolysis product purification technologies from Technip Energies (T.EN), a leading engineering and technology company for the energy transition, developing a technology platform for advanced chemical recycling.
It is the only Italian technology that have won an award from the 2023 EU Innovation Fund, allocated by the European Commission with a total of EUR 3.6 billion and focused on innovative low-carbon technologies.
“The Hoop project is an important step forward in Versalis’ strategy to develop chemical recycling technology, complementary to mechanical recycling, to ensure full circularity for all plastics,” said Adriano Alfani, the CEO.
