Honeywell and Sacyr join forces to work on plastic recycling

They will use the UpCycle technology that reduces the demand for new plastics

The US tech company Honeywell and the Spanish Sacyr have formed a joint venture whereby both companies will co-own a facility in Andalusia with the capacity to process 30,000 tonnes of mixed plastic waste per year and transform it into Honeywell's recycled polymer. Production is estimated to begin in 2023. The plant will use Honeywell's UpCycle technology, a revolutionary process that increases the types of plastics that can be recycled and produces recycled plastic with a lower carbon footprint. Technology reduces the demand for new plastic, with the aim of promoting a circular economy in plastics that, combined with other chemical and mechanical recycling methods, means this technology could increase the overall amount of recycled plastics by 90%.

"Plastics continue to play a key role in our society to extend the shelf-life of food and decrease the weight of transporting it, which reduces emissions. However, just a fraction of the plastics we use can be recycled," says Vimal Kapur, President and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies. "Honeywell's UpCycle process solves this problem. By increasing the types of plastics that can be recycled, it will revolutionise the plastics economy and play a leading role in improving the sustainability of products we use on a day-to-day basis," he adds. Domingo Jiménez, director of Sacyr Circular, underlines the high capacity and speed with which the plant can start operating, which "allows the positive impact on the communities that we serve, the environment and society in general to be seen more quickly".

Photo: Sacyr