Enerkem and NOVA Chemicals partner to transform MSW into ethylene

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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.

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