Teijin Aramid to develop chemical recycling technique for Endumax

Netherlands-based Teijin Aramid has partnered with Luxembourg-headquartered Clariter to develop a chemical recycling technique for Endumax ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Teijin Aramid has been recycling Twaron fibers at its own recycling facilities for over two decades.

Endumax feedstock was put to the test at Clariter’s operational pilot facility in Gliwice, Poland, and the results showed that fishing nets, ropes, and air cargo containers are all appropriate for chemical recycling.

Clariter’s technology converts potentially hazardous plastic waste into high-value, pure industrial goods with a net carbon impact. Thermal cracking converts waste into a wide range of hydrocarbons, followed by hydro-refining, which removes impurities and produces naphthenic and paraffinic hydrocarbons, before distillation and separation, with fractions distilled into three product families, which are then blended for a variety of applications by partners.

UHMW-PE, which is difficult to recycle, has now been successfully upcycled into pure, crude-free industrial feedstocks with uses in cleaning agents, degreasers, paints, and specialty waxes.

Jasper Munier, Clariter’s business development manager for North-West Europe, said that working with Teijin Aramid and demonstrating that chemical recycling is the solution to the plastic waste problem has moved us a step closer to a cleaner and more sustainable future. As a next step, they hope to process materials in considerably bigger quantities and types at their 15,000 square-meter industrial-scale facilities in East London, South Africa. They’re excited to collaborate with Teijin Aramid’s team of professionals in order to position chemical recycling as an indispensable recycling solution.

Hendrik de Zeeuw, director of marketing and sales Teijin Aramid, said that through this agreement, Endumax joins their other products in the same league. By partnering with Clariter, they’ll be able to assist clients in returning Endumax ropes, nets, and cables, extending their end-of-life. They will now comply with end-user standards in the aerospace industry, ensuring that whole air freight containers, including the panels, are recycled after use.