Carbios awarded for novel PET recycling process
30/11/2017
The French company was awarded first place for its potential to “change the way we handle the lifecycle of plastics”.
Since 2012, it has been working on its project thanks to five-year public-private funding that granted the young company €15 million. “Up to 60 scientists, many of whom work at a leading enzymology lab at the University of Toulouse, have helped develop the process,” company COO Martin Stephan told WSA in an article published in May/June 2017.
Its research led to the discovery of a family of enzymes capable of depolymerising polyester back into MEG (Monoethylene glycol) and terephthalic acid, making it possible to recycle PET without loss of quality in a circular loop.
This enables the production of biodegradable plastic products or infinite recycling for PET plastic products.
Carbios intends to start experimenting with polyester textiles, which represent a larger waste stream. “In 2020 a European directive will make it mandatory to sort textile waste. This will make it easier to recycle it,” added Mr Stephan.
Carbios CEO Jean-Claude Lumaret said: “It is an honour for Carbios to receive this award for its pioneering approach based on the use of enzymes, which will bring cutting-edge solutions to produce zero waste plastics for all single use purposes and also infinitely recycle PET-based plastics such as bottles and packaging. As we work hard to bring our solutions to the market, programmes like the EuropaBio SME Awards create an environment of strong support for biotech companies across the board.”
Read more about Closing the Polyester Loop by downloading the pdf from our Technical Library. Pdfs cost £1 for non-WSA subscribers.
Share this story:
