Press Releases

Material-recovery agreement with INSTM and GASIFORMING™ patent for the transformation of non-recyclable plastic into clean fuel presented at Ecomondo

Acea, multiutility involved in the water, energy, and environmental sectors, and INSTM (National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology) have signed a framework agreement for the development of new materials and the implementation of innovative technologies for the sustainable management of raw materials and product recycling, in line with national and European circular economy guidelines.

The agreement was presented today at Ecomondo during one of the debates organized by Acea Ambiente, the company part of the Acea Group that deals with waste treatment and valorisation.

The purpose of the project is to make production processes and value chains more sustainable by increasing material efficiency and investing on reuse and use of recycled products to make long-lasting, high added value goods. This will lead to a reduction in the use of natural resources and have a positive impact on local communities and the environment.

At Ecomondo, Acea Ambiente also presented a new GASIFORMING™ patent, developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Milan and INSTM. This technology will allow to transform a combination of non-recyclable plastics, so-called plasmix, in clean fuel. In fact, gasification turns plastic in syngas – widely used in the basic chemical industry – through a process that has no impact on the environment. The patent industrialization process is currently underway and the exclusive license to use it in Italy will be transferred to Acea Ambiente, who plans to open plants that will use this technology.

“For Acea, the framework agreement with INSTM – said Giovanni Vivarelli, President of Acea Ambiente – represents an important step forward in the study and implementation of circular economy models, which must necessarily include sustainable and innovative production processes that follow procedures able to give new life to materials and substances otherwise considered waste, without impacting on the environment. Furthermore, with GASIFORMING™, we use plastic destined for landfill or waste-to-energy plants to produce new goods, with zero emissions, including through the creation of new production chains, with a positive impact on the environment and the local communities”.