AmSty, the largest polystyrene producer in the Americas, and Agilyx Corporation, a pioneer in the advanced recycling of post use plastics, have announced an agreement to explore the development of a jointly owned advanced recycling facility. The initial scope of this project will be a 50 to 100 tonne per day advanced recycling facility located at AmSty’s Styrene production facility in St James, Louisiana, USA.
The facility will be a next generation expansion of Agilyx’ advanced recycling technology already in use at the Regenyx joint venture operating in Tigard, Oregon where post use polystyrene products are converted back into virgin equivalent styrene monomer. A feasibility study for the project is under way, with a timeline for construction and commissioning to be announced as progress continues.
‘Polystyrene is an ideal material for the future of recycling,’ said Dr Randy Pogue, president, and chief executive officer of AmSty. ‘Not only can polystyrene products offer sustainability advantages where less material is required (eg a polystyrene foam cup is 95% air), but polystyrene is particularly advantageous for advanced recycling because it can be ‘unzipped’ back to its original liquid form, styrene monomer, using 40% less energy than other polymers. As the global plastics industry moves toward circular recycling to build value and grow access, polystyrene becomes very attractive as a first mover with its inherent conversion advantages. AmSty is committed to keeping polystyrene products out of landfills through circular recycling. We are excited to expand our relationship with Agilyx in this new project to accelerate progress.’
‘Development of this technology has picked up over the past decade, and it is time to reach a larger scale,’ said Tim Stedman, chief executive officer of Agilyx. ‘We have been operating Regenyx with AmSty since 2019 and are pleased to expand our relationship toward a much larger facility at St James. Joining AmSty as a co-investor underlines our commitment to accelerating the implementation of Agilyx advanced recycling technology and our licensing model. We believe that our technology will significantly increase the availability of recycled content for producers.’