Enerkem and NOVA Chemicals partner to transform MSW into ethylene
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
Enerkem Inc.
(Enerkem) and NOVA Chemicals Corporation
(NOVA Chemicals) have entered into a joint development agreement to explore
turning non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal waste into ethylene, a
basic building block for certain plastics.
Press release: “Research Seeks New Way to Reduce
Waste to Landfill and Drive Zero Plastic Waste”, 11/5/2020.
Figure 1. Enerkem and NOVA Chemicals partner to
transform MSW into ethylene (extracted from the press release)
NOVA Chemicals is a producer of chemicals and
plastic resins. It is committed to enabling 100% of plastics packaging is
recyclable or recoverable by 2030 and 100% of plastics packaging is re-used,
recycled or recovered by 2040. Enerkem
is the first company in the world to produce renewable methanol and ethanol
from non-recyclable, non-compostable municipal solid waste at full commercial
scale. Working together, the companies will research advanced recycling technology
to transform hard-to-recycle municipal waste (including items such as plastics,
household waste and construction materials) into ethylene at full commercial
scale.
Ethylene, produced from waste, would advance a
plastics circular economy and help meet consumer brand goals for recycled
content in packaging. Advanced recycling technologies are a necessary component
of moving to zero plastic waste by creating valuable new feedstocks from
post-use plastics that cannot be easily mechanically recycled. The quality of
polymers produced with advanced recycling technologies is the same as those
made from 100% virgin, fossil-based feedstocks.