Profile: Nantek – Nanomaterials as a reagent, the key to take chemical recycling to the next level
Type of post: PROFILE
OF COMPANY/TECHNOLOGY.
The company: Nantek
Nantek is a startup based in
Erandio (Basque Country, Spain) that offers solutions for the industry based on
nanomaterials, mainly from nanoelements. The promoters of this initiative have
allocated 100,000 € of initial investment to R&D from their own funds. In
addition, they are closing their first round of investment for the first pilot
plant in Bizkaia worth more than 1 M€, expected to be closed in stages
throughout 2020.
Nantek team started working
with the nanoelements several years ago, when their intensive use was not
feasible and the laboratories only generated small quantities. In recent years,
new manufacturing processes have been developed leading to industrial
applications that meet the expectations placed on these promising materials.
In this sense, Nantek is
working in its use as a reagent to transform plastic into an ultra-low sulphur
fuel and other alternative products. In this way, the technology developed aims
to alleviate the burden on landfills, reduce CO2 emissions from incineration
and promote the circular economy as a viable economic model.
The technology:
CF-CMRM® (Catalyst-Free Carbon Molecule Release Mechanism)
Nantek has
developed a thermochemical process based on traditional anaerobic pyrolysis
that relies on the use of nanoelements as a reactive agent to improve the
conversion ratio of plastic residue to fuel, or other hydrocarbon products.
Thanks to an innovative reactor design, and the use of reagents as a carbon
source, Nantek manages to increase the conversion ratio by around 15-20%
compared to other existing technologies. Yields vary depending on the nature of
the plastic waste and its overall composition.
Figure 1. Nantek –
Nanomaterials as a reagent, the key to take chemical recycling to the next
level
Some remarkable
characteristics of the technology:
- Increases the efficiency of
the process, among other things because the operating temperature is reduced.
Thanks to this, investment in equipment is reduced as well as operating costs,
significantly increasing competitiveness compared to other technologies.
- It is capable of processing
streams of mixed plastics (packaging, nets, industrial waste ...) at the end of
its useful life, regardless of its composition or whether it has any residue
from another material.
- It is flexible in terms of
the plastic received and the product obtained. The technology, through
adjustments to the reaction and other process components, enables a wide range
of products to be produced and different plastics streams to be processed.
- It allows good control of
polymer breakage and chain size of final compounds in a single step.
- It is a closed cycle, with
no emissions, the small part that makes up the non-condensable gases generated
during the process, is recirculated and used to heat the reactor.
- It is reproducible at scale
and can be adjusted to the capacity needs of each industry or recycling plant
through modular reactors and easily transportable in a container.
The products
Nantek offers a wide range of
products that will adapt to the needs of the environment and the context of
each production plant. The technology developed by Nantek is capable of
adapting to each type of plastic waste, optimizing the resulting product and
adapting to the variable market demand.
The great control over the
characteristics of the compounds, allows to successfully produce a wide range
of different products, with low sulfur content, and reaching the quality
standards of conventional fuels. It is also possible to produce other chemical
compounds that can be used as raw material for the oil and gas related
industries, power generation, petrochemical, plastic and even the cosmetic
industry.
Future plans
As great objectives for this
year, Nantek intends to set up its first functional pilot plant and close a
turnover of close to one million euros. The plant will have a capacity of 1,000
kg/batch, will be able to process 8-10 tons per day and will be installed in
the Basque Country. It is estimated that the commissioning will be in October
2020 and that the results will start to arrive at the end of this year.
Acknowledgements: I would like to express my appreciation to Koldo Manero (Head of Engineering at Nantek) and Ángel Abajas (Chief Commercial Officer at Nantek) for their kind collaboration.
