INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, today discloses first results of the ResolVe project. This project addresses research related to chemical recycling of polystyrene.
The ResolVe project team now has proof of concept of closed loop recycling. The process converts waste polystyrene back to pure styrene via a depolymerisation process, followed by a polymerisation process resulting in a quality identical to virgin polystyrene. Polystyrene is one of very few polymers that can be converted back into its specific monomer. Technical properties such as its low ceiling temperature enable recycling under conditions that can be achieved in a twin-screw extruder. The results show that polystyrene is very well recyclable.
