Grant Award will Fund an Innovative New Pathway for Multi-layer Plastic Packaging Recyclability
RD&D Partnership Project includes Braskem America, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
One of three REMADE awards recently granted to Braskem
Braskem (B3: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK) (“Company”), the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, today announced its polymer recycling technology research partnership has been awarded a $600,000 Research, Demonstration, and Development (RD&D) grant from the Reducing Embodied Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute, a public-private partnership established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The winning RD&D project is focused on innovating a new recycling process technology to extract pure polypropylene (PP) from PCR multilayer packaging waste that is currently hard to recycle. The project is a partnership between Braskem America, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, all of which are providing additional foundational project funding. REMADE is the first institute in the U.S. dedicated to accelerating the nation’s transition to a Circular Economy.
“We are honored to have this innovative plastic recycling project recognized by the REMADE Institute, an organization that is dedicated to investing in technology that is vital for the future of manufacturing,” said Ana Camilo, Specialist Researcher, Braskem. “This funding will enable Braskem, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to revolutionize the circular re-use of multilayer plastic and potentially create a pathway to divert hard-to-recycle plastic waste from landfills into valuable new material feedstock sources.”
Braskem RD&D Partnership Project Awarded Funding by REMADE:
Demonstration of Solvent-Based Plastic Recycling to Extract Pure Polypropylene from PCR
- This research project seeks to develop new Solvent Targeted Recycling and Precipitation (STRAP) technology to extract pure resin from mixed polymers, with a focus on obtaining high-purity PP from Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) polypropylene wastes for industry applications. It is intended that this solvent-based technology will be able to remove additives, ink, pigments, and adhesives, and ultimately produce a cleaner polypropylene.
Professor George W Huber, University of Wisconsin-Madison, commented, “Sustainability is a collaborative effort. It is critical that the companies in the plastic industry work together with academia and government agencies to bring innovative recycling technologies to the market.
Professor Ezra Bar-Ziv, Michigan Technological University, commented, “We are excited to design, build, and operate a unique STRAP plastic recycling pilot plant that will be used to produce larger quantities of high-quality recycled resins so that we can validate our resins in several downstream applications. We expect to use this system to analyze a wide range of feedstocks and de-risk STRAP technology.”
The project is well aligned with Braskem’s ambition to expand its portfolio to include 300,000 tons of thermoplastic resins and chemicals with recycled content by 2025 and 1 million tons of such products by 2030. In addition, Braskem seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in scopes 1 and 2 by 15% in 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The REMADE Institute enables the early-stage applied research and development of key industrial platform technologies that could dramatically reduce the embodied energy and carbon emissions associated with industrial-scale materials production and processing. By focusing its efforts on the technical and economic barriers that prevent greater material recycling, recovery, remanufacturing, and reuse, the REMADE Institute seeks to motivate industry investments to advance technology development and support the U.S. manufacturing eco-system. The U.S. Department of Energy and REMADE selected 14 projects in October 2023 with a combined total of $9.8 million in research and development funding. Since the Institute's founding in 2017, REMADE has launched or selected nearly 100 R&D projects, representing a total combined value of nearly $100 million.
The circular economy is a sustainable model that aims to minimize waste by keeping resources in use for as long as possible, extracting their maximum value while in use, and then recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of a resource’s life cycle. Not only does this reduce environmental impact, but it also offers new business opportunities and economic benefits, supporting innovation, job creation, and global competitiveness.
REMADE-funded research projects seek to innovate industrial-scale materials production and processing, achieving multiple positive impacts among the following Target Technical Performance Metrics (TPMs), including:
- Reducing primary feedstock consumed
- Reducing secondary feedstock energy
- Increasing embodied energy efficiency
- Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Facilitating cross-industry reuse
- Balancing cost and energy party
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, manufacturing accounts for 25% of U.S. energy consumption at a cost of approximately $150 billion. Based on data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, industry is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, at 30%. By embracing the circular economy, REMADE’s investments ensure that America’s manufacturing sector remains globally competitive while moving the nation closer to meeting the clean energy goals set forth by the Biden-Harris Administration including achieving a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050.
Detailed information on all REMADE projects can be found at www.remadeinstitute.org.
ABOUT REMADE
Founded in 2017, REMADE is a 167-member public-private partnership established and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMTO) with an initial investment of $140 million. REMADE is the only national institute focused entirely on developing innovative technologies to accelerate the U.S.'s transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry, academia, trade organizations, and national laboratories, REMADE enables early-stage applied research and development that will create jobs, dramatically reduce embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the supply and use of recycled materials. For more information about REMADE (Reducing EMbodied Energy And Decreasing Emissions), visit www.remadeinstitute.org.
ABOUT BRASKEM
With a strategy centered on people and sustainability, Braskem is engaged in contributing to the value chain to strengthen the Circular Economy. Braskem’s almost 9,000 team members dedicate themselves every day to improving people's lives through sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics. With its corporate DNA rooted in innovation, Braskem offers a comprehensive portfolio of plastic resins and chemical products for diverse industries, such as food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, health, and hygiene, and more. With 40 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany, Braskem exports its products to clients in over 70 countries.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with five production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, and a New Renewable Innovation Center in Boston focused on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and advanced materials. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains projections and other forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) regarding future events. These statements reflect Braskem’s current beliefs and expectations with respect to Braskem’s business, the economy and other future conditions and are based on assumptions, are subject to risk and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation: (i) the continuation of restrictions related to the COVID -19 Pandemic or the continuing effects of the Pandemic; (ii) the contraction or lack of growth in the market segments in which Braskem competes and in which its products are sold (iii) unexpected delays in commissioning, (iv) increased competition from imports or in the export markets, (v) inability to anticipate future market trends and the future needs of Braskem’s customers, (vi) the impact of natural disasters on Braskem’s facility and its suppliers and (vii) other factors detailed in documents Braskem files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
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