Schneider Electric, a global leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, and GR3N, the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chemical recycler, collaborated to create the first open automation system for the advanced plastic recycling industry.

Microwave Assisted DEpolymerization solution “MADE” from GR3N

GR3N developed MADE, the Microwave Assisted DEpolymerization solution, to tackle massive plastic waste problem.

The MADE reactor from GR3N.

This new process breaks down PET into its chemical building blocks that can be recombined to create new PET pellets with virgin-like quality for packaging and textiles, effectively closing the loop for hard to recycle plastic.

The technology is based on alkaline hydrolysis, and it can manage a higher amount of impurities compared to the existing ones.

MADE using automation system

The intrinsic modularity of GR3N’s proprietary recycling process allowed the technology to use the shared automation runtime managed by Universal Automation, based on the IEC 61499 standard.

The software-defined automation system decouples hardware from software, allowing devices and equipment to be freely connected across architecture layers. It acts as the digital backbone of industrial operations at the plant, allowing to make more informed decisions.

This approach allows MADE to be also technological demonstration of a new generation of automation systems, where the intertwining between OT and IT enables the exploitation of advanced functionalities for operations management and data analytics.

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert x GR3N’s MADE

In March 2024, GR3N successfully demonstrated MADE (Microwave Assisted DEpolymerization) and the power of Schneider Electric’s open automation technology, EcoStruxure Automation Expert at its demonstration site in Italy.

MADE plant is conceived to anticipate the usage of all the technologies that will be finally adopted for the first industrial-scale facility, foreseen to be installed in Spain and with an expected capacity of over 40,000 ton/year of PET waste treated.

Schneider Electric and GR3N signed a Memorandum of Understanding to allow GR3N to scale operations to new sites quickly and cost-effectively.

The solution is expected to reach industrial scale by 2027 with the construction of a 35-40kta plant which will include the pre-treatment, depolymerization and repolymerization.