Sulzer brings PS chemical recycling technology to market

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Engineering company Sulzer has launched a technology to chemically recycle heavily contaminated polystyrene (PS).

Called EcoStyrene, the technology has been under development since the end of 2022 when Sulzer Chemtech announced a partnership with VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland.

That partnership involved combining VTT’s patented pyrolysis-based depolymerisation technology and Sulzer Chemtech’s SuRe styrene purification technology.


The result is a technology that can process PS waste containing flame retardant components and food residue into various grades of styrenic polymers, including food-contact applications.

EcoSyrene is now commercially available. Combining Sulzer’s process and equipment expertise in the field of polymer recycling with VTT’s proven fluidised bed reactor technology spearheaded the development, Sulzer explained in a statement.


Sulzer will act as the main licensor of the technology, providing full process solutions to customers. These include basic engineering services, supply of key equipment, and skid-mounted modular units.

“We're excited to bring this transformative technology to market,” said Ilja Mikenberg, global head of process solutions at Sulzer Chemtech. “The chemical recycling sector has been seeking sustainable solutions for contaminated plastic waste management, and our EcoStyrene technology provides a practical, economically viable answer even for the most challenging feedstock.


Sulzer has developed proprietary plastics chemical recycling technologies including pyrolysis and depolymerisation. It is also the exclusive licensor of the pyrolysis technology developed by Fuenix Ecogy.

VTT has developed pyrolysis and gasification technologies that use a fluidised bed reactor to convert mixed plastic waste into chemical precursors. In January, technology commercialisation platform Innventure announced it acquired exclusive rights to licence VTT’s thermochemical conversion technology for plastic waste.


source: Sulzer / Sustainable Plastics

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