Technip Energies and Agilyx have launched their TruStyrenyx brand, said to be a complete solution for the chemical recycling of polystyrene. The solution combines Agilyx’s pyrolysis process and Technip Energies’ purification technology, yielding a recycled styrene monomer with exceptionally high purity. Styrene monomer is used to make numerous plastics and other polymers. It is one of the three primary components of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), can make the pure polymer polystyrene and is an ingredient in various synthetic rubbers.
This launch follows successful results from pilot plant testing conducted on difficult-to-recycle waste polystyrene, including flame-retardant-laden waste polystyrene. Recycled styrene monomer from the pilot plant meets ASTM standards for styrene monomer and has greater than 99.8 % purity. Flame-retardants contain halogens, which are known to be difficult impurities for current polymer production processes. The pilot plant has successfully shown that the resulting halogen concentration in the styrene monomer product is below available detection limits.
Bhaskar Patel, SVP of sustainable fuels, chemicals and circularity at Technip Energies, said, “We are pleased with the results of our pilot plant testing in our R&D facility in Weymouth, Massachusetts. This marks an important step in our development of circular solutions for styrenics technologies, and our relationship with Agilyx. Our joint innovative solution, TruStyrenyx, for the chemical recycling of polystyrene, offers potential clients a feasible way to make polymer products from recycled sources without compromising product integrity.”
