FRANCE – Schneider Electric, a leader in energy management and automation, has teamed up with GR3N, a specialist in PET chemical recycling, to develop the world’s first open automation system for advanced plastic recycling.
This collaboration aims to address the growing plastic waste challenge through cutting-edge recycling technology.
GR3N has pioneered the ‘Made’ process, a microwave-assisted depolymerization method that breaks down PET into its chemical components.
These can then be reformed into new PET pellets with “virgin-like” quality, ideal for packaging and textiles. This technology closes the loop on hard-to-recycle plastics, offering a sustainable alternative to existing methods.
The system is based on alkaline hydrolysis, allowing it to handle higher levels of impurities than other recycling processes.
Schneider Electric’s ‘EcoStruxure Automation Expert’ platform is integral to GR3N’s recycling operations. It streamlines processes by automating low-value engineering tasks and provides rapid adaptability for changing needs.
The system’s flexibility, achieved by decoupling hardware from software, enables seamless connectivity between devices across various facilities, regardless of the manufacturer.
This vendor-independence helps mitigate supply chain risks while offering scalable control solutions.
Fabio Silvestri, head of marketing and business development at GR3N, highlights the importance of this approach, “Software-defined automation and hardware independence have allowed us to reconfigure our systems swiftly and enhance efficiency without supply chain disruptions. This is key to scaling advanced plastic recycling.”
Scaling up for industrial demand
As global plastic demand is expected to triple by 2060, with ocean plastics potentially surpassing fish, Schneider Electric and GR3N are gearing up for industrial-scale operations.
GR3N recently showcased the ‘Made’ system and Schneider Electric’s open automation technology at its demonstration site in Italy.
The first full-scale facility is planned for Spain, with an annual projected capacity of over 40,000 tons of treated PET waste.
The ‘Made’ system has demonstrated a 40% reduction in human error during development and a 30% decrease in engineering costs.
Its modular design has made it the first recycling plant to use a shared automation runtime managed by Universal Automation based on the IEC 61499 standard.
The solution is expected to reach industrial scale by 2027, with the construction of a 35–40 kta facility, including pre-treatment, depolymerization, and repolymerization stages.
Christophe de Maistre, president of Energy & Chemicals, Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, emphasized the need for integrated, modular, and scalable solutions to tackle plastic waste, “Our collaboration with GR3N demonstrates the flexibility, efficiency, and scalability required to advance plastic recycling to industrial levels.”
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