Honeywell launches plastic recycling black technology

Honeywell recently announced the commercialization of a "disruptive process" that will advance the circular economy by expanding the types of recyclable plastics. It will use recycled materials to produce raw materials to make recycled plastics with a smaller carbon footprint.

Honeywell said that its UpCycle process technology uses industry-leading molecular conversion, pyrolysis and pollutant management technologies to re-convert waste plastics into Honeywell recycled polymer raw materials, which are then used to make new plastics. According to reports, UpCycle technology has expanded the types of recyclable plastics, including waste plastics that could not be recycled, including colored, flexible, multilayer packaging and polystyrene. Honeywell said that when combined with other chemical and mechanical recycling processes, coupled with improvements in collection and classification, its UpCycle process technology has the potential to increase the proportion of global recyclable plastic waste to 90%.

According to a research report published by AMI International in September 2020, by 2030, advanced recycling technologies can process an additional 5 million to 15 million tons of plastic waste each year.

According to the life cycle analysis calculated by Honeywell, recycled plastic produced through UpCycle process technology can reduce carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions by 57% compared to the same amount of virgin plastic produced with fossil raw materials. Compared with traditional waste plastic treatment methods (such as incineration and landfill), this process can also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 77%.

Spain's Sacyr is a global engineering and service company with operations in more than 20 countries around the world and will be the first to deploy Honeywell's proprietary technology. Honeywell and Sacyr will form a joint venture. The two companies will jointly own and operate a facility in Andalusia, Spain. The plant can convert 30,000 metric tons of mixed waste plastics into Honeywell's recycled polymer raw materials each year. It is expected to start production in 2023.

According to the press release, working with companies with waste management experience, such as Sacyr, enables Honeywell to help complete the cycle in the plastic supply chain by bringing recycling technology to the collection source site. These recycling plants are modular in design and can be deployed and installed directly to strike an appropriate balance between economies of scale and the amount of waste plastic generated locally.

"Our cooperation with Honeywell will enable Sacyr to bring sustainable circular solutions to the market," said Domingo Jiménez, manager of Sacyr Circular Corporation. Accelerate our impact on the communities we serve, the environment, and society as a whole."

Honeywell’s UpCycle process technology was created within Honeywell’s Sustainable Technology Solutions Group, which is part of Honeywell UOP. Honeywell recently pledged to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035.