Advanced recycling provides sustainable end-of-life solution for UHMWPE

Teijin Aramid has been recycling para-aramid Twaron fibers in its own recycling facilities for the past two decades, but the company has been looking for solutions for other products, including the difficult-to-recycle ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene Endumax
.

The company has now partnered with Clariter, an advanced recycling company that has developed a patented process by which plastic waste liquids are upgraded into high-value, ready-to-use pure industrial products, including aliphatic solvents, White mineral oil and paraffin
.
Clariter's technology accepts most plastic waste streams and produces fossil fuel alternatives that can be used as ingredients to make more than 1,000 clean, everyday end and consumer products
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Additionally, an LCA conducted in 2020 by an independent third party determined that the carbon footprint of Clariter's process is net carbon negative
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To determine whether Teijin's UHMW-PE is suitable for chemical recycling based on the clariiter process, Clariter conducted feedstock testing at its operational pilot plant in Gliwice, Poland, using samples of high-resistance UHMW-PE for fishing nets, ropes and aviation freight container
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Tests have shown that it is indeed possible to chemically recycle these products into a feedstock from which crude oil-free industrial products can be made
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For example, the wax produced by this process can be used to coat fishing nets, so in a sense it is a cycle; other products (solvents, oils) extracted from the raw materials can be used in many production processes or other applications
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Hendrik de Zeeuw, Marketing and Sales Director, Teijin Aramid, said: “Through the partnership with Clariter, Teijin Aramid has taken a new step in the recyclability of Endumax
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This means that Endumax is now on the same level as the rest of Teijin Aramid’s products.
The level of recycling, it's an amazing achievement
.
"

He added that the ability to recycle Endumax will also allow Teijin to fully meet the requirements of end-users in the aerospace business that "the entire air cargo container, including the panels, can be recycled after use"
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Clariter plans to build and operate a plant near Teijin Aramid in Delfzijl, the Netherlands
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In addition, Poland and Israel are planning to build more factories
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Jasper Munier, business development manager for North West Europe at Clariter, said: “Working with a partner like Teijin Aramid to prove that chemical recycling is the solution to the plastic waste epidemic brings us once again closer to a cleaner, more sustainable future
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The next step , we hope to process larger quantities and more types of samples in our 15,000 square meter factory in East London, South Africa
.
We look forward to working with Teijin Aramid's expert team to jointly position chemical recycling as an irreplaceable recycling solution
.
"

Teijin Aramid, a subsidiary of the Teijin Group, is a world leader in the field of aramid
.
These high-performance materials are produced in the Netherlands, Thailand and Japan
.