MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow (Midland, Michigan), the world's petrochemical major, and Haldor Topsoe have partnered to promote the circular economy, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
About 300 million tons of plastic waste is produced every year on a global scale. The partnership between Dow and Topsoe marks a new initiative to efficiently convert waste plastics to circular plastics, keeping them out of the environment and responsibly reclaiming their value.
Plans include Dow to proceed with the design and engineering for a 10,000 ton per year market development unit using Haldor Topsoe’s PureStepTM technology to purify pyrolysis oil feedstock derived from waste plastics for use in circular products.
Dow’s development unit will advance the technology for industrial-scale purification of circular feedstocks, which will be used to meet strong market demand for circular polyethylene (PE).
Waste plastics in the environment is a climate issue. Advancing the circular economy for plastics maximizes the sustainability benefits that plastics bring across the value chain in a more carbon-efficient way. The construction of a market development purification unit will help solve a key challenge in closing the loop for waste plastics. Topsoe will support Dow in meeting its 2030 circularity targets, including Dow’s target to enable 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through its direct actions and partnerships.
A first step agreement is in place between Dow and Topsoe to leverage lab-scale capabilities to support the design and engineering of the new 10,000 ton per year market development unit (MDU), which will be built at Dow’s site in Terneuzen, the Netherlands.
The objective for Dow’s new purification MDU is to validate the technology to produce circular products and to accelerate the scale needed to support strong market demand for circular PE.
As MRC wrote previously, earlier this month, Dow announced several advancements in its efforts to prevent plastic waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide customers with recycled plastic products. The company says these advancements will help it to provide initial supply of fully circular polymers to customers starting in 2022.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
Dow combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately USD39 bn in 2020.
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