Mura Technology, WMG secure funding for innovative Hydro-PRT Projects

UK – Mura Technology, in collaboration with WMG at the University of Warwick and Innovate UK, has secured a new two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant. 

This partnership aims to advance operational sustainability models for Mura’s Hydro-PRT advanced recycling technology, focusing on enhancing its environmental performance.

Mura’s Hydro-PRT technology is recognized for its potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

The first Hydro-PRT site, located in Teesside, UK, will begin operations this year and is projected to save 40,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Specializing in advanced recycling, Mura Technology converts post-use, mixed plastics into recycled hydrocarbon feedstocks.

These feedstocks are then used by the petrochemical industry to produce virgin-grade plastics, including those used in food packaging.

Mura has two additional plants under construction in South Korea and Japan, expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

In response to increasing regulations on plastic waste, Mura plans to expand its recycling capacity to over 1.5 million tonnes by 2032.

WMG’s role in this partnership is to develop a modelling platform that integrates sustainability into all future Mura project sites.

This platform will include life cycle assessments to transparently demonstrate the environmental compliance of Hydro-PRT.

It will also serve as an educational tool for stakeholders, including global regulators and policymakers, highlighting Hydro-PRT’s low-carbon potential.

Geoff Brighty, Mura’s Head of Sustainability and R&D, emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating, “Continuing our partnership with WMG is crucial to embedding this new science into our core operations.

“Hydro-PRT boasts sector-leading sustainability credentials, but each site will have its unique characteristics, influenced by factors like the local energy grid, plant configurations, and the material supply chain.

“The KTP project models will guide our decision-making, ensuring sustainability is central to our global growth strategy.”

In March, Mura signed an offtake agreement with Neste for feedstock, marking a significant step toward establishing a circular plastic economy.

The feedstock will be produced at Mura’s HydroPRS facility in Teesside, which is slated to begin operations in mid-2024.

Teesside is the world’s first commercial-scale plastics recycling facility utilizing Mura’s hydrocracking technology.

Initially capable of processing 20,000 tonnes annually, the facility has the potential to triple its capacity.

Unlike traditional pyrolysis, the HydroPRS process uses water under high pressure and temperature to convert post-consumer mixed plastics—including currently unrecyclable items like films, pots, tubs, and trays—into high yields of hydrocarbon feedstocks.

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