Versalis, a company owned by energy firm Eni, has unveiled a new demonstration plant in Mantua to showcase its new proprietary technology for the chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste.
The facility showcases Versalis’s proprietary Hoop technology, which can be used to chemically recycle mixed plastic waste into high-quality feedstock suitable for all applications, including food contact packaging and pharmaceutical packaging.
Collaborative project
Hoop was developed as part of a collaboration between Eni and Italian engineering firm S.R.S.. It works by combining a high thermal performance pyrolysis reactor with advanced polymer analytics and AI-driven process optimisation – features that enable it to handle a wide variety of plastic inputs with precision.
Construction of the 5,000-square-metre plant in Mantua began in October 2023 and during the construction phase, more than 25 specialised contractors were involved.
According to Eni, the plant is capable of processing 6,000 tonnes of secondary raw material per year and will serve to validate the new technology on an industrial scale.
‘Substance and value’
“Today we are giving further substance and value to circularity, one of the pillars of Versalis’s transformation plan”, commented Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis.
“The Hoop plant we are opening today is a symbol of the path we are following – harnessing innovation to reshape our business through new industrial initiatives based on circularity, biochemistry and specialisation, in pursuit of increased sustainability. We are committed to addressing all three of sustainability core dimensions: environmental, social and economic.”
A larger, 40,000-tonne facility is already planned for development in Priolo, Sicily. According to Eni, the feasibility study for this project has already been completed, and the design phase is currently under way.
Both projects fall under the Eni-Versalis Chemical Transformation Plan, supported by the Ministry of Enterprises as well as the Made in Italy development programme. Read more here.
