Qenos, Plastic Energy and Axens partner for circular plastics

Qenos, a manufacturer and supplier of polyethylene and polymers, is taking Australia a step closer to circular plastics, using advanced recycling technology from Plastic Energy (UK) and Axens (France).

The international companies are partnering with Qenos in the planning of a major circular plastics manufacturing capability in Australia. The deal will support Qenos and waste management company Cleanaway’s joint feasibility study for the conversion of up to 100,000 tonnes of household soft plastic waste and mixed plastics back into Circular Polyethylene.

Plastic Energy specialises in advanced recycling of plastics using its Thermal Anaerobic Conversion (TAC) process and Axens, a worldwide provider of technologies, products and services for the production of cleaner, renewable, gas, fuels and chemicals, has developed the RewindMix process.

Circular plastics manufacturing using advanced recycling takes soft plastics and other hard-to-recycle plastic waste which currently goes to landfill, is sent for incineration or escapes into the environment and recycles this back into the same products. It is the next major phase in recycling and is forecast to attract $680 billion of investment globally by 2050.

Circular polyethylene has identical properties to virgin polyethylene and can be used in food contact and high-performance applications thereby supporting local packaging and food manufacturers to achieve the 2025 APCO National Packaging Targets.

Qenos CEO Stephen Bell said that this important step in the development of the Qenos Circular Plastics Project (QCPP) was the result of an extensive assessment of suitable advanced recycling technologies and partners, supported in part by the Victorian Government.

“Qenos’s objective is to deliver a project of market-leading scale which will meet customer expectations and deliver on recycled content targets by 2025. These partnerships are crucial — Plastic Energy and Axens are world-class companies that also see this opportunity to partner with Qenos and support the establishment of a new major manufacturing sector worth $350 million annually with 3100 jobs over the longer term.”

The Australian Food & Grocery Council (AFGC) is developing the National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS), which aims to collect and recycle nearly 190,000 tonnes of soft plastic packaging per annum by 2025.

AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said: “Developing circular plastic-to-plastic recycling capability in Australia is essential to address the challenge of plastic waste and meet the National Packaging Targets.

“This is an example of the collaboration, investment and technology needed to create an effective and sustainable circular economy for plastic packaging in Australia,” she said.

The QCPP is said to be the largest proposed circular plastics project in Australia and is currently being considered for support under the federal government’s Modern Manufacturing initiative.

The joint feasibility study is expected to be completed by July 2022 and a final investment decision to be made later this year. Pending a successful outcome, the first of the advanced recycling facilities is expected to be operational by 2025. Fully commissioned, the QCPP would secure a leadership role for the Australian manufacturing chain in this emerging global sector.