UK-based Mura Technology has broken ground on the construction of the world’s first commercial-scale plant to use its groundbreaking “hydrothermal” process, which is able to recycle all forms of plastic waste and provide the raw ingredients for a sustainable circular plastic economy.
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Source: Mura Technology
HydroPRS (Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution), is an advanced recycling process designed to tackle plastics that cannot currently be recycled and instead end up polluting the environment.
The plant, which will be the first to use the technology on such a scale, is being built in Teesside, UK, and is scheduled to be operational in 2022. Once up and running, Mura says that it is aiming to process 80,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year.
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Mura said that the plant will form the blueprint for a rapid global rollout that will see one million tonnes of capacity in development worldwide by 2025 – equivalent to nearly half the plastic packaging waste produced in the UK each year - with sites are planned in Germany, the US and Asia.
Plastic waste is becoming an increasingly urgent environmental challenge. In 2018, Plastics Europe reported that 350 million tonnes of plastics are produced worldwide annually, with half becoming waste in less than a year. The UK alone produces 2.4 million tonnes of plastic packaging – the second-highest per capita in the world.
However, globally only 9% of plastic has ever been recycled – the vast majority (79%) currently ends up in landfill or the environment, with eight million tonnes entering the oceans every year.
On top of the stark environmental consequences, this ‘lost resource’ of plastic waste is also a huge economic opportunity – valued at up to $120 billion (€101.8 billion) per year according to the World Economic Forum.
Mura’s HydroPRS process uses supercritical steam to convert plastics back into the oils and chemicals they were made from, ready to be used for new virgin-grade plastic products. The company says it can recycle all forms of plastic – including ‘unrecyclable’ products such as multi-layer, flexible plastics used in packaging – with no limit to the number of times the same material can be recycled. This means it has the potential to eliminate single-use plastic and make the raw ingredients for a circular plastics economy, creating value, not waste.
In a press release, Mura said that, upon completion, the Teesside plant has the potential to eliminate up to 120,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, compared to incineration of the same plastic waste.
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Dr Steve Mahon, CEO of Mura Technology, said: “We are at the tipping point of an environmental catastrophe – it’s time to seize the initiative and put an end to plastic pollution across the world. HydroPRS represents a win-win for the environment, economy and society, helping keep our environment free from plastic and oil where it belongs – in the ground.
"We need to act now and that’s why we’re taking a global-first approach – to scale fast and meet the challenge head-on. We’re working with global partners to deploy our unique HydroPRS process where it’s needed, today, to create a sustainable future and eliminate plastic pollution."
In January, Mura signed an agreement with KBR Inc. to license the technology to its clients worldwide. KBR has also invested in the company.
Igus, a German manufacturer of plastic cables and bearings, has also partnered with Mura to support the plant in Teesside.
Environmental consultancy firm Wood has been appointed as the EPC contractor for the Teesside project. The Teesside project is being developed by ReNew ELP, the UK subsidiary of Mura Technology.
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In October 2020, the UK government awarded the Teesside project £4.42 million (€5.15 million) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging programme.
Earlier this month, the government officially recognised advanced recycling techniques as contributing towards targets for recycled plastics for the first time.
Rebecca Pow, the UK Minister for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, said: “The Government is committed to both clamping down on the unacceptable plastic waste that harms our environment and ensuring more materials can be reused instead of being thrown away. By investing in these truly groundbreaking technologies, we will help to drive these efforts even further, and I look forward to seeing them develop and deliver real results.”
The tech has also been backed by environmental groups campaigning to tackle the plastic waste crisis.
Jo Ruxton, Founder of Ocean Generation and producer of Netflix documentary ‘A Plastic Ocean’, said: “More than eight million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans each and every year – that’s unacceptable. It’s paramount that we live more sustainably with plastic, reducing our need for it in the first place and then finding ways to stop it from entering our precious environment. Technologies like this are a big piece of that jigsaw.”
In the face of rising consumer pressure, many of the world’s largest brands are urgently looking to tackle their plastic problem.
Read more: Unilever NA invests $15 million in plastics recycling
Unilever has committed to halve the amount of virgin plastic in its packaging by 2025 and increase recycled content by a quarter. Nestlé has committed to 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025 and reducing virgin plastic by a third.
Mura says it is in discussions with global brands and investors to fund and deploy HydroPRS and use the raw ingredients it creates to eliminate the need for new virgin plastic, meeting consumer demand for action.
“The problem isn’t plastic, it’s where it ends up. We want to change the way the world thinks about plastics – not as something to throw away, but as a valuable resource that can be reused over and over without harming our natural world,” concluded Dr Mahon.
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