Recycling to go

On the third day of presentations at the Infraserv stand, Prof. Dr Thomas Bayer explains in the #green innovation – Sustainable Industry blog: „Chemical parks like Industriepark Höchst offer infrastructures for energy supply and residue disposal. We therefore have a wide variety of residual materials, i.e. raw materials, available that predestine us as a location for innovation developments in the circular economy.“ Julian Odenthal from Arcus Greencycling also spoke about how the start-up has managed to produce high-quality oils for the petrochemical industry from local plastic waste. The company focuses on mixed plastic waste without additional sorting and takes the circular economy for plastics to a new level, as this could reduce plastic incineration and the associated significant CO2 emissions. „Our process is so robust that it can cope with fluctuations in waste management,“ reports Mr Odenthal, but also emphasises that this process must be seen as a supplement to existing recycling processes. Arcus is currently operating its first plant at Industriepark Höchst, which has an annual capacity of four thousand tonnes of plastic waste. „We are proving that there are courageous entrepreneurs who take risks with money and don‘t hold back with working hours. I believe we need more courage and pragmatism from society as a whole and from politicians.“