Aether-Novoloop work on innovative technology for plastic circular economy
Novoloop https://www.novoloop.com/ , a leading plastic circular economy technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California, has started up a pilot plant at Surat in collaboration with Aether Industries, a publicly-listed specialty chemicals manufacturer.
Completed in March 2024, the pilot plant has now passed equipment testing and solvent runs, and has achieved continuous operations with the usage of commercially-representative waste feedstock.
This milestone marks the successful transition from batch reactions to an integrated and automated plant that validates Novoloop’s first-of-a-kind Lifecycling™ technology.
Novoloop’s Lifecycling™ process transforms post-consumer polyethylene plastic waste into virgin-quality monomers for performance materials at a carbon footprint reduction of up to 91% when compared to the conventional process of producing adipic acid.
“We are tremendously excited about this next chapter, where we make available the first lots of Lifecycled™ products to the world.”
Novoloop is a mission-driven company focused on creating scalable solutions for the hardest-to-recycle plastics. In recognition of the company’s potential for world-scale environmental impact, this pilot scaleup has received the support of Rolex as part of its Perpetual Planet Initiative.
The primary objectives of the pilot plant are to demonstrate the safe and reliable operations of the integrated process, validate key equipment performance in an industrial environment, and achieve production of high purity products.
The facility also provides a platform for training personnel and developing protocols for commercial operations. The plant will produce ton-scale samples to enable off-take commitments with early customers.
“Having built the pilot plant in less than six months, from detailed engineering to commissioning, the project demonstrates remarkable efficiency and collaboration between the teams,” said Dr Aman Desai, Director and Senior VP of Research, Manufacturing, and Operations at Aether https://aether.com.sg/ .
“Aether is proud to partner with Novoloop on their groundbreaking and innovative technology towards a plastic circular economy, and looks forward to taking this technology towards commercialization.”
Aether’s operational expertise is a strong asset and instills confidence in the potential for larger-scale collaborations between the companies in the future.
Founded in 2015, Novoloop plans to expand the pilot capacity to the full 70 metric tons per year demonstration plant scale are already underway.
Incorporated in 2013, Aether Industries Limited is a speciality chemical manufacturer in India focused on producing advanced intermediates and specialty chemicals involving complex and differentiated chemistry and technology core competencies. Aether is also a leading CRAMS (Contract Research and Manufacturing Services) provider. Aether began commercial operations in early 2018, publicly listed in 2022, and is one of the fastest growing specialty chemical companies in India. Fiinews.com
