Agilyx, NextChem Partner to Advance Global Chemical Recycling Infrastructure

Agilyx Corp. has signed yet another agreement with a technology company to support the development of advanced chemical recycling on a global basis. The agreement between Agilyx, wholly owned by Agilyx AS (Oslo), and NextChem, a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group SpA (Milan), combines Agilyx’s pyrolysis technology with NextChem’s expertise in licensing, implementation, and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for plastics recycling. (EPC services entail management of the project’s engineering design, procurement of required materials and equipment, and construction of an operational facility for the client.)

Previously, Agilyx struck a deal with Braskem in December 2020, and in February 2021 it established a joint venture with ExxonMobil.

Under the new agreement, NextChem will act as a technology and EPC partner for Agilyx. The aim of this partnership is to accelerate implementation of chemical recycling facilities globally using Agilyx’s advanced pyrolysis technology to convert mixed waste plastic into circular olefins and fuels. Agilyx claims that its proprietary chemical recycling process can turn post-use plastics back into their original chemical components for continued use, increasing recovery of plastics that cannot be recycled by traditional processes.

The scope of the partnership in its first phase is to develop a series of chemical recycling projects for third parties. The initial focus will be on two already identified projects, one in Europe and one in South America. Additionally, the agreement represents an opportunity for co-investments in specific projects in order to accelerate the overall commercial pipeline.

“We are proud to include this new partnership with Agilyx in our portfolio and further develop our basket of technological solutions for the circular economy, which already include upcycling, waste-to-chemicals, waste-to-fuel, polymerization, and now also thermo-chemical conversion (pyrolysis),” commented Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem. “We are strongly committed to finding solutions for plastics sustainability along its lifecycle and to enabling a new circular, low-carbon economy.”