Elkem claims milestone in silicone recycling, scaling up technology

Oslo - Elkem ASA has claimed a “significant milestone” in its circular economy efforts, having developed a scalable technology to chemically recycle silicone waste.

The company is now advancing the technology with a pilot plant unit at its Saint-Fons production site in Lyon, France, it was announced 18 Nov.

Elkem initiated a collaborative project* in 2021 to develop a process to break down silicone waste, using "eco-designed depolymerisation methods."

This project, it said, led to the establishment of a number of technologies for the recycling of silicones that are patented by Elkem and partners.

Moving from laboratory to the pilot plant, Elkem said it has now embedded those processes in the construction and operation of the unit at Saint-Fons.

Elkem said its depolymerisation technologies offer multiple benefits including low process temperatures and high conversion rates.

Furthermore, the process provides "chemical selectivity", which according to Elkem avoids the generation of undesirable by-products and residues.

The technology offers a low carbon process to produce “the same quality as those made from virgin material,” according to sustainability chief Josephine Munsch. 

With the pilot plant, Elkem expects to gain “vital scale-up information” for safe and energy-efficient recycling of silicones at the industrial scale.

This will enable the Norwegian supplier to supply target customers with representative quantities of recycled-content silicones.

*The project, known as the Resourcing Silicones Polymers (REPOS) project, focuses on developing eco-friendly depolymerisation chemistry to reduce silicone waste. REPOS has been developed with CP2M and IMP academic labs, and the SMEs Activation and Processium. The project received support and funding from Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes et BPI France.