Japan Steel Works Europe GmbH (JSW EU), a group company of The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. (JSW), a manufacturer of industrial and plastics machinery and Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a specialty material solutions provider announced a collaborative effort on chemical recycling of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in October, 2022.
In this collaboration, JSW and JSW EU will supply a depolymerization extruder and technologies to Trinseo as well as provide technical support. Trinseo will source and pretreat PIR/PCR PMMA waste as feedstock to produce recycled MMA (rMMA). rMMA produced by Trinseo will then be used in the development of circular PMMA solutions. PMMA is used in an array of markets, such as automotive and transportation, building and construction, sanitary ware, lighting and home appliances.
Depolymerization is a chemical recycling process by which PMMA waste can be efficiently recycled back into its monomer to yield truly circular products. It is a versatile process that can handle general PMMA waste and waste that is not fit for mechanical recycling in the categories of both PCR and PIR streams. The production of r-MMA using this chemical recycling process, as opposed to virgin production techniques, also comes with a significant reduction in carbon footprint1. Furthermore, PMMA products produced from chemically recycled monomer exhibit properties identical to their virgin equivalent.
“Chemical recycling is yet another solution towards genuine material circularity. It is our belief that we will be successful in the sustainability journey through collaboration with partners in the value chain, therefore we look forward to working with JSW,” said Francesca Reverberi, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer of Trinseo.
“As a specialty machinery company, we are committed to collaborating with our value chain partners in realizing circularity. We are thrilled that our know-how could bring synergy to the circularity of the material PMMA, and at the same time bring positive impacts to the industry,” said Masaki Izawa, Managing Director of JSW Europe.
The cooperation between Trinseo and JSW is a testament to the importance of circularity in the industry. Both companies have been engaged in the MMAtwo project2 for the past four years. Heathland, acquired by Trinseo earlier this year, was the coordinator of the MMAtwo consortium.
1. MMAtwo – Environmental Benefits Calculator (mmatwo-footprinter.eu)
2. MMAtwo – European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 820687
https://www.trinseo.com/News-And-Events/Trinseo-News/2022/October/Trinseo-and-JSW-Europe-Announce-Collaboration-on-PMMA-Chemical-Recycling
About JSW Europe
Japan Steel Works Europe GmbH(JSW Europe) was established in 2012 as a wholly owned subsidiary of THE JAPAN STEEL WORKS, Ltd.
One of JSW’s core businesses is a variety of plastic machinery including Large Polyolefin Extruders (CMP, CIM and P series), Twin Screw Extruders (TEX series) and Film & Sheet Manufacturing equipment.
JSW Europe provides key local services for both the sale of new JSW machines and its after-sales services such as maintenance support, barrel/screw measurement, consulting for modification and parts inventory.
For not only existing customers but also prospects, JSW Europe offers to carry out the various type of extrusion trials with our TEX extruder in our extrusion technical center in Dusseldorf, Germany. In 2017, we renewed the facility in order to achieve more niche and special requirement such as reactive processing and devolatilization based on our extensive technical knowledge in plastic technologies.
Nowadays, we are more focusing on developing plastics recycling process (both mechanical and chemical recycling) through our TEX extruders based on our long-term experiences to correspond to high demands from customers. We are willing to contribute to a circular economy, together with our valued customers.
About Trinseo
Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a specialty material solutions provider, partners with companies to bring ideas to life in an imaginative, smart, and sustainability-focused manner by combining its premier expertise, forward-looking innovations and best-in-class materials to unlock value for companies and consumers.
From design to manufacturing, Trinseo taps into decades of experience in diverse material solutions to address customers’ unique challenges in a wide range of industries, including consumer goods, mobility, building and construction, and medical.
Trinseo’s approximately 3,400 employees bring endless creativity to reimagining the possibilities with clients all over the world from the company’s locations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Trinseo reported net sales of approximately $4.8 billion in 2021. Discover more by visiting www.trinseo.com and connecting with Trinseo on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and WeChat.
