PureCycle Completes Construction of Advanced Recycling Plant in Ohio

Advanced recycling company PureCycle has achieved a new milestone as it finishes construction of its flagship polypropylene (PP) purification plant in Ironton, OH. Initial pellet production is expected to begin in the second quarter of this year, with the ultimate goal of producing 107 million pounds of Ultra-Pure Recycled (UPR) resin annually, PureCycle said in today’s announcement.

Having reached mechanical completion of the advanced recycling plant, PureCycle submitted documentation to Leidos Engineering LLC, the site’s independent construction monitor, for formal certification of completion. Certification is required to achieve key milestones in connection with PureCycle’s Ironton financings.   

In parallel with the certification process, PureCycle will now begin operational pre-startup and safety review processes of the facility.

PureCycle has licensed the patented PP recycling technology from Proctor & Gamble since 2015, when the company was founded. The process reportedly can remove virtually all contaminants and colors from PP waste and produce pellets that are nearly identical in performance and properties to virgin resin. In an interview with PlasticsToday’s Rick Lingle, then PureCycle Chairman and CEO Mike Otworth explained the feedstock that can be used in the process and the basic steps involved.

PureCycle has also begun construction of a recycling facility in Augusta, GA, although some funding hiccups have been reported, and recently announced plans to build plants in Belgium and South Korea, the latter in partnership with South Korean PP producer SK geo centric.

“2023 will continue to be an exciting year for PureCycle,” said CEO Dustin Olson in a prepared statement. “Now that construction is complete, we can begin our ramp-up plan and start producing UPR pellets. This is a transformative moment for PureCycle, for all of those that have supported us and invested in our company, and for our goal of creating an ‘infinitely sustainable planet.’ We can’t wait to bring our sustainable, high-quality, no-compromise UPR resin to our customers and start to create a truly circular economy for plastics.”  

In addition to the sustainability benefits, PureCycle said its first purification plant will provide the Ironton community with somewhere between 80 and 100 new, high-wage jobs.