Kobe Steel and Solvay have joined forces to enter the PVC recycling industry in Japan. Under the agreement, Kobe Steel will become Solvay’s exclusive partner in Japan and the exclusive supplier of Solvay’s VinyloopR recycling process.
The VinyloopR process was developed by Solvay and permits regeneration of PVC from PVC composites via a special solvent, which dissolves the PVC component. The recycled material has properties very similar to virgin PVC. Kobe Steel have supplied samples of the material to several Japanese organisations, which have been well received.
The first Vinyloop plant commenced operations in Italy in February, processing the PVC used in electrical cable insulation. Currently, another 10 Vinyloop plants are being planned across Europe. If further market trials and evaluations go to plan, Kobe Steel and Solvay, along with others, plan to establish a joint venture and build two plants in Japan.
The agreement also strengthens the position of the Kobe Steel’s recently formed Environmental Solutions Department.
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