Italy's Versalis said it is to start up a mechanical recycling facility at Porto Maghera that will produce 20,000 t/yr of polystyrene using recycled materials collected from plastic waste.
The site will produce a mixture of recycled general-purpose polystyrene (r-GPPS) and recycled expanded polystyrene (r-EPS). EPS waste will be used as a feedstock.
The r-GPPS and r-EPS produced at the site will be part of Versalis' 'Revive' range, which contains 35-100pc post-consumer recycled content. These materials are primarily intended for the packaging and construction sectors, mainly targeting thermal insulation panels for buildings and protective packaging for household appliances.
Versalis, the chemical subsidiary of Italian energy group Eni, permanently closed steam cracking and aromatics production at Porto Marghera in 2022. It bought recycling company Ecoplastic in 2021 to expand its portfolio of recycled styrenics polymers. This will help Versalis to move forward with its transformation project at Porto Marghera.
"In Porto Marghera, we plan to invest in the expansion of our mechanical plastics recycling platform and to consolidate and enhance the logistics hub, including the cryogenic storage facility for ethylene," said Versalis' chief executive Adriano Alfani.
The cracker closure at Porto Marghera was followed by a decision to phase out steam cracking capacity at Brindisi and Priolo. Versalis said this will allow it to focus "on a high-value downstream portfolio comprising compounding and specialized polymers, biochemistry and products from the circular economy".
