Sumitomo Chemical successfully produces first waste-based polyolefin production

In Japan, Sumitomo Chemical has successfully conducted the first waste-based polyolefin production at its laboratory in Japan earlier this year, by use of the ethylene produced by Axens ethanol-to-ethylene technology Atol. This process value chain is complemented with the upfront “Waste to Ethanol” technology by Sekisui Chemical. 

This project promotes circular economy making it possible to turn waste into polyolefin, a key product in the petrochemical industry. With this first trial production, the project has entered into a new phase to corroborate the quality of the product on the laboratory basis until mid-2022 toward the next step, which will be the start-up of a pilot plant, currently under construction in Japan.

At full roll-out, the project will enable the production of waste-based polyolefin at industrial scale, which will represent a leapfrog towards a sustainable economy based on renewable carbon.