NEXTCHEM and Röhm Partner to Recycle PMMA Using NXRe™ Technology

MAIRE announces that NEXTCHEM (Sustainable Technology Solutions), through its subsidiary MyRemono, has signed a toll manufacturing agreement with Röhm, under which Röhm will provide PMMA scrap feedstock for processing and chemical conversion into ultra-pure monomers of virgin quality by MyRemono.

The program utilizes NEXTCHEM’s proprietary NXRe™ technology, an advanced and efficient molten metal depolymerization process for the continuous chemical recycling of PMMA. Röhm will also act as an off-taker for the recycled methyl methacrylate monomer (rMMA) to be reused in the manufacture of new PMMA products in a fully circular manner.

The agreement provides for Röhm to pay MyRemono a processing fee. The program follows the establishment of a Europe-wide PMMA recycling network that includes MyRemono, Röhm, Pekutherm and Polyvantis. Pekutherm will be responsible for the logistics and sorting of PMMA materials, while Polyvantis will be responsible for mechanical recycling.

MyRemono will manage the chemical recycling of PMMA waste in its first industrial-scale plant, currently under development in Italy and supported by the EU Innovation Fund. The plant is expected to be completed in 2026 with an initial processing capacity of approximately 5,000 tons of PMMA per year, equivalent to the amount required to produce approximately 10 million car taillights, demonstrating that large amounts of recycled material can replace virgin resources in the manufacturing industry.

Recycled MMA produced through the NXRe™ PMMA TECHNOLOGY is expected to have a carbon footprint that is more than 90% lower than the current virgin MMA production route. MyRemono's total investment in technology development and scale-up and construction of the first industrial-scale plant is $15 million, mainly funded by bank loans and a €4 million EU Innovation Fund grant.

With this agreement, NEXTCHEM lays the foundation for the licensing of its NXRe™ PMMA technology, an important milestone for the future development of chemical depolymerization of other value-added materials such as polystyrene and polyolefins.

Alessandro Bernini, CEO of MAIRE, commented: “Our NXRe™ PMMA technology will play a key role in advancing circularity and is one of the core pillars of our circular solutions and sustainable materials value proposition. The implementation of this world’s first advanced recycling plant and the formation of this industrial consortium clearly demonstrate the relevance and effectiveness of how disruptive technologies can address current challenges.”