Page 21 - Impiantistica industriale

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

NextChem completes Italy’s first

demonstration plant for chemical recycling

of PET and polyester from textiles

The depolymerization technology
allows the plant to chemically recycle

PET and polyester textile fiber waste
and obtain pure monomers to produce

new polymers

Barbara Morico, R&D Financed Projects Senior
Engineer and Pilot Plant Projects Leader
NextChem, a unit of Maire Tecnimont

extChem, Maire Tecnimont’s energy
transition technology company, has NextChem is the developer
completed the construction of the and co-licensor of the
first demonstration plant in Italy for
the chemical recycling of PET and “depolymerization technology
Npolyester from textiles, as part of the
European Union’s DEMETO project. The plant is
located in Chieti, in the Abruzzo Technology Park. The DEMETO project has been co-funded by the
European Union under the Horizon 2020 program
The depolymerization technology adopted, based with NextChem as coordinator of a consortium
on the reaction of alkaline hydrolysis with the use of of 14 partners, covering the entire value chain
microwaves, allows the plant to chemically recycle (NextChem, 3V Tech, SPINDOX UK, Technical Uni-
PET and polyester textile fiber waste and obtain versity of Denmark, The European Outdoor Group,
pure monomers to produce new polymers. EuPC, The Fricke and Mallah GmbH, gr3n, H&M
Group, NEOGROUP, RECUPRENDA, PETCIA,
SUPSI, Synesis).
DEMETO is the first
demonstration plant in Italy NextChem is the developer and co-licensor of the
depolymerization technology, owned by the Swiss
“for the chemical recycling start-up gr3n, as well as designer and constructor
of PET and polyester from of the plant. Various types of materials, including
textiles polyester-based textile fibers, will be tested in the
plant, which is capable of recycling almost 100%
of the incoming material, amounting to 1 MM Kg/y.

Impiantistica Italiana - Maggio-Giugno 2022 19