Eastman has announced US$250 million for a plastic-to-plastic recycling facility that will rely on ‘polyester and carbon renewal technology’ to boost its use of recycled raw materials in its ‘Renew’ branded polymers. Eastman’s plastics sorting capabilities and complementary chemical recycling technologies will help it cost-effectively secure the ample feedstock supply needed for a colossal methanolysis plan.
Mark J. Costa, CEO of Eastman, said, “There will be Naia Renew in textiles and a series of other products. For cosmetic packaging, that’ll be Cristal Renew. Nalgene and CamelBak are already marketing its Tritan brand in that way already.” The company expects construction of the new plant to start in March 2021 and finish by 2022.
Methanolysis is a process through which scrap PET is heated and treated with methanol. The process breaks down the plastic into its component monomers, dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and ethylene glycol (EG), purified and used to make new plastic. Eastman calls its technology “polyester renewal technology.” Methanolysis was initially developed by Kodak decades ago for use on polyester photographic films. During a Jan. 29, 2021 conference call with investors, Costa noted that methanolysis isn’t particularly novel or challenging, but the chemical purification that occurs after PET is broken requires capability and experience. Eastman has developed numerous trade secrets over the years to ensure that intermediate chemicals coming out of the process are purified and are identical to intermediates from fossil fuel feedstocks.
The new plant initially aims to use over 100,000 metric tons of ‘plastic waste’ per year that cannot currently be recycled using mechanical methods. Overall, the company’s goal is to recycle over 250 million pounds of scrap plastic annually by 2025. During the call with investors, Costa said the company’s chemical recycling technologies could, after years of building them out, eventually generate between $500 million and $1 billion a year in Eastman’s revenue.
