INTERVIEW: Chemical recycler Agilyx sees polystyrene as highly recyclable

US chemical recycler Agilyx sees strong potential in recycling polystyrene given the polymer’s recyclability, and says that pipeline is strong for potential projects, Chief Commercial Officer Carsten Larsen told S&P Global Commodity Insights in a recent interview.

Agilyx also had an announcement of furthering its partnership with the US arm of styrenics producer INEOS Styrolution for a 100 tons/day plant in Channahon, Illinois, on March 27. Engineering is expected to be complete this year, which would allow the project to move into construction. Once complete, the plant will be able to produce high-purity styrene monomer from polystyrene feedstock, according to Agilyx, which has bases in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Tigard, Oregon.

Larsen said polystyrene was unique in its ability to be chemically recycled into styrene monomer, which is different from the prevailing industry practice of chemically recycling mix plastic to a state akin to crude oil. The technology process for chemically recycling polystyrene is therefore not dependent on a mass balancing approach. On the contrary, since the recycled styrene monomers could then be used to produce polystyrene, chemically recycling polystyrene represents a much "simpler" solution for sustainability than chemical recycling of mixed plastics.

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"Polystyrene is where the technology has moved forward," Larsen said. Agilyx in fact started as a company to tackle mixed plastic waste in 2004, but switched course to focus on polystyrene in light of the oil crisis at that time that affected feedstock price for pyrolysis oil, he said.

The current capacity for recycled food-grade polystyrene and styrene monomer produced through chemical recycling is slim in the European market, with much of the capacity set to come online by 2025. Volumes are set to be 3,000-4,000 mt of recycled material by the end of 2023, a converter in the polystyrene market indicated. By 2025-26, a combined 200,000 mt of production capacity is set to be available in the European market, data from industry body Styrenics Circular Solutions shows.

Four-step process

Larsen said chemical recyclers need to tick four boxes in order to succeed in advanced recycling of plastics, namely sourcing feedstock, preparing feedstock, and conversion and purification of the liquid product. Agilyx, in collaboration with Technip, branded this four-stage technology as "TruStyrenyx."

Agilyx has differentiated itself among other chemical recyclers via its capability to take highly distressed polystyrene feedstock to produce food grade styrene monomer according to the US ASMT standard, Larsen said. This was achieved through sorting polystyrene-containing feedstocks, understanding their chemical properties and treating these different types accordingly, such as densifying lightweight foams, preparing recipes, etc., he said.

In the nascent market of chemical recycling polystyrene, European styrenics producers such as Trinseo and INEOS Styrolution were seen mostly adopting the approach of forming joint ventures to tap into the market. This is quite different from Agilyx’s business approach.

Agilyx was unorthodox in the industry, operating only as a technology licenser rather than taking up ownership of a plant. Agilyx’s standard modules have a 50 tons/day capacity and typically its customers would scale modularly by running two modules together, equivalent of an input capacity of 100 ton/day of polystyrene. According to Agilyx’s previous announcements, its technology has so far been adopted by Amsty, Toyo and Kumho.

Agilyx’s licensing model requires meaningful investment from the industry to work, Larsen said. Project demand for Agilyx’ chemical recycling technology is relatively balanced globally, he said. Two projects are underway in the US and Asia, with Europe slower on the uptake. Development of projects utilizing Agilyx recycling technology is further advanced in the US than Europe.

Seeing little impact from EU waste export ban

Speaking on the impact of the upcoming waste export ban in the EU, Larsen said it was unlikely to affect the recycled polystyrene market as much as materials in the polyolefins markets, as polystyrene is everywhere in Europe equally through dairy packaging and insulation. The EU waste export ban is less likely to affect the smaller supply approach of 50 tons/day modules.

The European Parliament backed a new law at the start of 2023 that would ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, as well as phase out exports to OECD countries over the course of four years. Market sources have expressed concerns over how this could affect the growth of recycling in Europe.

Pricing in the market will differ between technologies, with uncertainty surrounding a costs basis for ASTM specification styrene monomer produced from distressed waste. Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, last assessed the European styrene market on April 4 at $1,139.5/mt FOB ARA for 5-30 days forward, up $18.50/mt on the day.