Licella and BioLogiQ to Partner on Chemical Recycling

Sydney-based technology company Licella Holdings Ltd., and bioplastic company BioLogiQ Inc., based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, have partnered to accelerate the commercialization of Licella’s Cat-HTR (Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor) chemical recycling technology.

Licella and Australian partner iQ Renew, with the support of BioLogiQ, will commercialize the Cat-HTR technology in Australia, while London-based Mura Technology (Mura) will be working alongside BioLogiQ to bring the Cat-HTR technology to China.

The Cat-HTR technology is able to recycle end-of-life plastics, which would otherwise be sent to landfill, back to the chemicals they originally came from. These chemicals can then be used to make new plastics.

The Cat-HTR technology can recycle a blend of end-of-life plastics that include polypropylene, polystyrene, low-density PE and multilayer flexible plastic packaging, without the need to sort plastics into a single stream. This process flexibility increases the total quantity of plastic that can be recycled. The Cat-HTR process reportedly produces a high yield of oil from plastic (around 85% oil, with the balance as gas that can be recycled to power the process).

In Australia alone, there is reportedly the potential for 20 to 30 commercial-scale Cat-HTR plants. With chemical recycling, Licella can recover and recycle almost all plastic we use today, including plastic with a renewable feedstock such as BioLogiQ’s own NuPlastiQ Biopolymer.

Central to the Licella and BioLogiQ partnership is the ongoing support of local and global Cat-HTR commercial partners. In Australia, Licella’s partner iQ Renew will commercialize the Cat-HTR technology for end-of-life plastic, while their partner Mura will bring the Cat-HTR technology to the rest of world, with a particular focus, alongside BioLogiQ, to commercialize the Cat-HTR technology in China. With China effectively banning the import of foreign waste in January 2018, the companies say a huge opportunity exists to build Cat-HTR chemical recycling plants to help deal with China’s own massive quantities of post-consumer plastic. 

“At the heart of the Licella and BioLogiQ partnership is a shared vision for a more sustainable future. By pioneering a circular solution for all plastics, we can utilize the massive amount of plastic already in circulation as a resource, preventing plastic from leaking into the natural environment, reducing our need for fossil oil and significantly reducing carbon emissions,” stated Licella CEO Len Humphreys.