Sorigué is leading an R&D and innovation project to find a use for plastics which cannot be recycled and turn them into fuels and hydrogen. In this project called Despoliplast, Sorigué is partnering with the Environmental and Industrial Applications of Catalysis (AMIC) group at Rovira i Virgili University which brings its laboratory expertise and knowhow.  

The initiative consists of validating in a real-world environment catalytic depolymerisation technology to get fuels from plastic waste and also studying the feasibility of producing hydrogen from these fuels by harnessing a steam reforming process. The total project budget comes to €233,318.60 and it is financed by the “R&D Nuclis” grants facility for climate change projects run by ACCIÓ, the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia.  

From the laboratory to real scale  

For more than ten years the AMIC technical group has been engaged in processes for turning plastic waste into fuels using catalytic depolymerisation with highly successful results in generating both diesel and petrol.  

Despoliplast is a further step in the development of this approach by building scale technology and pilot tests to be conducted at the Balaguer facilities of Noguera Renovables, a company set up by the Axpo, Sorigué and Torre Santa Maria consortium. The project is to run for two years until December 2024 and its purpose is not only to recover plastic waste to reduce the amount that ends up in landfill but also to help decarbonise transport with recycled carbon fuels. 

Another goal is to explore the production of quality hydrogen from processed plastic fuels in a groundbreaking and highly innovative initiative.  

In its first year of implementation, the project has secured an agreement with CELSA Group which produces steel from recycled ferrous scrap. Heavy fraction plastic waste from car dismantling and other industries will be characterised for the first scale depolymerisation tests. 

New recycling and recovery options  

At present, plastic waste which is not recycled can be incinerated by catalytic pyrolysis which allows energy recovery in the form of electricity and/or heat, although undesirable substances such as dioxins are also generated in the process.  

Another technique which may provide a solution to this problem is catalytic depolymerisation as proposed by the Despoliplast project. In this process, organic substances are thermochemically decomposed in an oxygen-free environment or in an inert gas to produce liquids/oil, solid carbon and non-condensable gases. The catalyst is pivotal in this method to enhance the efficiency of the process and the production of higher quality fuels.  

It is estimated that 50% of plastic waste is shipped to countries outside the EU, mainly to China for recycling. However, restrictions on imports of plastic waste in China are forcing the EU to rethink solutions because incineration and landfilling are currently the most commonly used pathways. It is also believed that 95% of the material value of plastic packaging is lost after very short first use.  

To curb the pollution generated by this material, several measures have been put forward such as the Green Deal, which requires at least 55% of packaging to be recycled, and the entry into force of the Waste and Contaminated Soil Act, which means that no more than 50% of plastic waste can be sent to landfill. Against this background, an initiative such as Despoliplast on a large scale would enable plastics to be used to produce fuels which in turn would help to decarbonise the transport industry and achieve the goal of zero emissions by 2050.  

About Sorigué  

A leader in industries including construction, materials, infrastructures, the water cycle, energy and city services, Sorigué has over 60 years of experience and a footprint across Spain. Its investment in innovation primarily targets projects unlocking the green economy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction. Sorigué’s Innovation Department currently has more than twenty R&D and innovation projects underway seeking solutions with a positive environmental impact which can be mainstreamed across its business areas.