Beckers Collaborates with Suppliers to Incorporate Recycled Plastic into Coatings, Advancing Circular Economy

Introduction:

Beckers, an international leading coatings company, has recently announced its collaboration with suppliers to integrate recycled plastic materials into its coatings. The ability to transform waste plastic into new raw materials holds the potential to promote circularity and reduce emissions.

Partnerships and Supply Chain:
Beckers is partnering with BioBTX and Symeres to establish a supply chain for sustainable aromatic monomers derived from plastic waste. BioBTX has developed a method to convert waste plastic into BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene), which is then oxidized by Symeres into aromatic ortho-phthalic acid monomers. Beckers can utilize these monomers to manufacture resins.

Significance of Ortho-phthalic Acid Anhydride:
Ortho-phthalic acid anhydride is crucial for the production of polyester resins, as it is the most commonly used aromatic acid, constituting 40-50% of the resin. The ortho-phthalic acid anhydride produced through this process can serve as an alternative to the petroleum-derived ortho-phthalic acid anhydride currently in use.

Advanced Chemical Conversion Technologies:
The pilot project involves employing various advanced sustainable chemical conversion technologies to process mixed plastic waste into sustainable chemical building blocks and ultimately high-value products. This includes the unique integrated cascade catalytic pyrolysis (ICCP) technology, which converts mixed plastic waste and biomass into aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and xylene. Beckers has a particular interest in xylene, as it can be oxidized to generate monomers like ortho-phthalic acid anhydride for coatings.

Julien Marquiant, Resin Laboratory Manager at Beckers, stated, "No one has yet made roll coating with ortho-phthalic acid anhydride from plastic waste, so this world-first is a significant step forward in producing more sustainable resins and coatings. It really is a game-changer for us, being able to incorporate high-quality materials made from plastic waste."

Ton Vries, Managing Director at BioBTX, added, "To achieve a fully circular economy, we need to utilize all different types of carbon resources to replace all fossil resources currently used. The collaboration with Beckers demonstrates that circular solutions are already achievable when various stakeholders from different industries come together. In this case, it not only prevents the growth of plastic waste but also substitutes the demand for fossil resources."

Progress and Sustainability Benefits:
The pilot project is still under development but promises significant sustainability benefits. Besides upgrading thousands of tons of plastic waste into high-value products, early estimates indicate that the process has the potential to reduce carbon emissions of white coatings by at least 10% compared to the use of virgin raw materials. Beckers will validate the quality and suitability of ortho-phthalic acid anhydride produced by Symeres using BioBTX xylene. Symeres is actively seeking potential partners to develop and license this technology within the next three to five years.

Conclusion:
Beckers' collaboration with BioBTX and Symeres to incorporate recycled plastic into coatings marks a vital stride towards a more circular economy. By leveraging advanced chemical conversion technologies and sustainable supply chains, this initiative has the potential to transform plastic waste into high-quality materials while reducing environmental impact. The ongoing development of the pilot project holds promising sustainability benefits and underscores the importance of cross-industry collaborations in realizing circular solutions.