Repolywise pioneers technology for atomic-level plastic decomposition

UK – Repolywise, a start-up founded by Oxford University researchers, has unveiled its innovative ‘Atomic Scissors’ technology, a breakthrough process designed to decompose waste plastics at the atomic level.

The new technology, supported by £375,000 (US$490,571.25) in grants from Innovate UK, uses hydrocracking to break down plastic waste into valuable raw materials, offering a promising solution for addressing the global plastic waste problem.

At the core of Repolywise’s innovation is converting waste plastics into propane in a single-step process.

This propane can then be sold to the petrochemical industry, where it is further processed into olefins—key building blocks for producing new polyolefins like polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

This recycling approach reduces plastic waste and creates valuable raw materials for the manufacture of new plastic products, supporting a more sustainable circular economy.

According to Repolywise, polyolefin plastics—such as PE and PP—make up about 50% of the 330 billion kilograms of plastic produced globally annually.

These plastics are notoriously difficult to recycle using conventional methods, often leading to downcycling, where waste is converted into lower-quality materials.

The Atomic Scissors technology aims to change this by enabling high-quality recycling of polyolefins into reusable polypropylene, which can then be transformed into new plastic products.

The current lab-scale model of the technology operates as a 2-gram batch process, but Repolywise plans to scale this to 2 kilograms in the next development phase.

With additional funding, the company intends to achieve a commercial-scale capacity of 2 tonnes in a semi-flow process, marking a significant step towards industrial applications.

Repolywise is also pursuing ISCC certification to validate its mass balance approach, ensuring the sustainability of its processes.

Kalpana lands US&3.84m funding to propel thin film technology development

In other related news, in July, Kalpana Systems secured a €3.5 million (US$3.84m) investment from SIG InnoVentures, Fairtree Elevant Ventures, and the Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam to advance its spatial atomic layer deposition (sALD) technology.

This cutting-edge technology allows for applying ultra-thin layers to materials like solar panels, batteries, and packaging, enabling faster production speeds and more efficient use of raw materials.

Kalpana’s machine, developed for sALD applications, is said to reduce production costs while offering a more sustainable manufacturing approach.

Technology has been recognized for its potential to revolutionize industries by building specialized coatings atom-by-atom, and it is being actively explored for ‘next-generation’ solar panels and other green technologies.

As both Repolywise and Kalpana Systems push the boundaries of material science, their innovations could significantly impact the global push towards sustainability.

They could offer practical solutions for reducing waste and improving resource efficiency across multiple industries.

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