Chemical recycling of PET
An innovative technology
Recycling plastic properly remains a complex challenge even today, and PET is a clear example of this: at present, the state of the art is mechanical recycling, which allows a significant proportion of transparent or light blue PET to be recovered, but effectively excludes coloured PET, for which there are still no industrial technologies capable of ensuring effective decontamination so that it can be reused for its original purpose (for example, ‘bottle-to-bottle’).
ITELYUM aims to revolutionise this situation through the development of an innovative chemical recycling technology, already tested and validated specifically on coloured PET, capable of decolourising and purifying the waste, producing a plastic with characteristics identical to those of virgin plastic but with a drastically reduced carbon footprint. This project is not merely a vision; it is set to become a reality with the construction of an industrial plant in the Cisterna di Latina area, through the conversion of an existing production site.
Plasta Rei, the new frontier in recycling / the new horizon of recycling
Plasta Rei positions itself as a key player in a model of PET circularity, in which the material can be recycled multiple times without structural degradation of the polymer, potentially through infinite cycles.
Thanks to a depolymerisation process, the PET is broken down to its basic unit, the monomer; the subsequent repolymerisation stage then allows intact polymer chains to be reconstructed, equivalent to those of virgin material.
The result is an undegraded material that retains its chemical and physical properties and can be recycled multiple times without any loss of quality and without the need to blend it with virgin raw materials. This approach overcomes the limitations of traditional recycling processes, in which materials undergo a progressive decline in performance and value with each recovery cycle.
BHET purification: a key stage in the process
A central element of Plasta Rei’s process is the production and purification of BHET, a key chemical intermediate in the PET value chain.
The ability to produce high-purity BHET makes it possible to:
- remove contaminants, colourants and additives present in the feedstock;
- obtain a final polymer with consistent and reproducible characteristics.
The quality of the BHET is therefore a determining factor in meeting the standards required for food-grade applications and for the full substitutability of virgin PET.
Plasta Rei participated in the Call for Proposals issued by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) – Notice M2C1.1, Investment 1.2, Intervention Line C, “Construction of new facilities for the recycling of plastic waste (through mechanical recycling, chemical recycling and Plastic Hubs), including plastic waste from the sea (so-called marine litter)”, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU¹. Learn more
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