Novel recycling process for the full range of post-consumer plastic waste feedstocks including black plastic

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Bulky mixed rigid plastic accounts for 70% of all plastics produced and makes up 60% of the waste plastic sent to landfill or incineration in the EU today. Existing recycling solutions either cannot technically separate this plastic or cannot do so in a scalable, economically viable way. 

 

Dark plastics are plastics that include carbon black pigments, which enhance the plastic’s functional and aesthetic properties. There is currently no commercially proven solution in the market for separating dark plastics, which can account for up to 33% of the plastic fraction.

 

The BOSS technology solves these problems by providing a scalable, automated, water-based solution that is capable of separating dark plastic to the same purity as other colours. The patented system uses oscillation to generate specific flow patterns in the water, which affect different polymer types in different ways. This novel process technology effectively stratifies different polymers based on density, allowing the particles to be split with a density delta of 0.005 gcm-3.

 

OBJECTIVES

The project aimed to upscale and bring the novel BOSS technology to the market, with the objective of radically innovating and boosting plastic recycling and re-use in EU. 

 

The technical objectives of the project were as follows:

1. technological upscaling and full-scale realisation of the BOSS-2D (processing and recycling of post-consumer flexible packaging waste) and 3D (mixed rigid post-consumer plastics waste) scalable, automated recycling lines with zero manual sorting plants in the UK
2. replication and transfer of BOSS 2D and 3D technology through technological upscaling and large-scale demonstration of industrial plants in Finland, and evaluate new potential replications in the EU
3. demonstration that BOSS technology can improve post-consumer plastic waste treatment to produce up to 98% pure recycled PP/PE plastic to replace virgin materials
4. validation and demonstration that the residual sinking plastic fraction can be separated by Reverse-BOSS technology
5. validation and demonstration of a compounding line producing from post-consumer waste plastic:
   • recycled PE with customised Melt Flow Index
   • a colour specific recycled product, which can increase the replacement of virgin polymer by recycled product.

 

The environmental objectives of the project were to:

1. demonstrate a 95% CO₂ reduction, 83% energy consumption reduction and 38% water consumption reduction compared to other recycling technologies
2. demonstrate that BOSS products can be recycled up to seven times compared to lower purity recycled products
3. demonstrate that the BOSS plants can recycle 100% of post-consumer waste plastic feedstock
4. carry out a Life Cycle Analysis to quantify the technology‘s benefits in the UK and Finland, including the improved carbon footprint.

 

The business objectives included:

1. development of a full demonstration study (based on BOSS demonstration sites) to highlight the close-to-market nature of the project and its sustainability, transferability and replicability
2. development of a blueprint for the BOSS Business plan and launch on the market, targeting the upscaled BOSS plant and licensing of the BOSS technology
3. establishment of 15 or more commercial agreements with current and new clients.

 

Through this, the project aimed to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Circular Economy Action Plan - CEAP, Directive 2008/98/EC, Waste Framework Directive, Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste, Directive 2010/75/EU on Industrial Emissions, Energy Efficiency Directive and the Marine Strategy.

 

RESULTS

The project’s results are described below.

 

• The technological upscaling and full-scale realisation of the BOSS-2D and BOSS-3D plants:
  • BOSS 2D Plant in Glasgow, UK reached its targeted purity levels of 98%, with a rejection rate below 7% and current production of 6 000 tonnes with expansion to 12 000 tonnes in the near future
  • BOSS 3D Plant in Durham, integrating a 3D Shred Line, 3D Wash Line, and Purification System, along with a Reverse-BOSS Line for technical-grade plastics recovery; achieved 98% purity, maintaining a rejection rate below 7%.

• Replication of the BOSS 2D and 3D technology at a new recycling plant facility located in Finland with a capacity of 50 000 tonnes annually; operations will commence in March 2026.

 

The main environmental outcomes from this are as follows:

• carbon savings: the BOSS system reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 2.04 tCO₂e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) per tonne of plastic processed, primarily by avoiding incineration and virgin plastic production
• energy efficiency: the process consumes 70% less energy due to the use of a cold water cleaning system, eliminating the need for energy-intensive water heating
• water conservation: BOSS reduces water consumption by 38%, using 100 litres per tonne compared to the conventional 160 litres per tonne
• waste diversion: the system diverts 71% of processed plastic waste from landfill and incineration, significantly improving recycling rates
• operational impact: 

-        UK facilities processed 15 000 tonnes of plastic, diverting 10 900 tonnes from landfill/incineration; future projections estimate 45 000 tonnes annually, diverting 30 700 tonnes per year

-        a new facility in Finland will process 50 000 tonnes annually, diverting 35 500 tonnes per year

• circular economy contributions: 

-        the BOSS system produces high-purity recycled plastic that can substitute virgin plastic, reducing fossil resource depletion

-        the recycled plastic can be reprocessed up to 7 times without significant degradation

-        combined UK and Finland facilities could reduce CO₂ emissions by 135 000 tonnes annually.