Plastics producer Ineos Styrolution (Frankfurt / Germany; www.ineos-styrolution.com) plans to collaborate on converting post-consumer polystyrene plastic into a new, high-quality resin with Canadian recycler Polystyvert (Montréal, Québec; www.polystyvert.com), the companies announced in a joint statement. Polystyvert opened what it called the first PS dissolution recycling plant in 2018 (see Plasteurope.com of 29.08.2018), the same year it began working together on the technology with French resin producer Total (Paris; www.total.com; see Plasteurope.com of 14.05.2018).

The solvent-based process dissolves PS, a step said to allow for the later separation of contaminants and additives via mechanical and chemical means. The polymer is then separated from the solvent, and the end result can be used again as new resin for a range of products, including food applications, the companies said.

The technology can treat all types of feedstock, from industrial waste to post-consumer streams, and eliminate a wide range of hard-to-remove contaminants such as pigments and brominated flame-retardants, the companies noted. Ricardo Cuetos, vice-president for standard products in the Americas at Ineos Styrolution, said, “The high quality of the final recycled polystyrene resin is essential to achieving a truly circular economy in key markets like food service packaging.”