An innovative way of assessing waste plastic processing
Clean technology company Aduro is using an innovative clean chemical process to transform lower-value feedstocks such as waste plastics, heavy bitumen and renewable oils into resources for the 21st century. In line with this, the company has engaged sustainability consultancy Delphi to conduct a Life Cycle Asessment (LCA) of the company’s hydrochemolytic technology for waste plastic processing.
Aduro is a developer of patented water-based technologies to chemically recycle waste plastics; convert heavy crude and bitumen into lighter, more valuable oil; and transform renewable oils into higher-value fuels or renewable chemicals. The company’s hydrochemolytic technology relies on water as a critical agent in a chemistry platform that operates at relatively low temperatures and cost, this helps convert low-value feedstocks into new resources.
Delphi – a specialist in corporate sustainability, climate change, the green economy, and cleantech innovation – is conducting the LCA as part of Aduro’s strategic roadmap to independently assess and quantify the environmental performance of its chemical recycling platform through a phased, data-driven process.
Increased pressure from regulators and clients
With increasing regulatory and market scrutiny of measurable environmental outcomes, the LCA provides a foundation for engaging stakeholders with credible, third party-reviewed information. Additionally, the LCA will provide critical data to assist in identifying and minimising inefficiencies and energy consumption throughout the process, helping to boost resource efficiency and reduce operational costs.
The project will begin with a screening-level LCA focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use, associated with operating the hydrochemolytic technology process. This assessment, based on pre-pilot-scale performance data and new design parameters, will follow ISO 14040 and 14044 frameworks to provide insights into the technology’s environmental profile. This phase will lay the groundwork for future work as more detailed data becomes available. The screening assessment will support Aduro’s broader efforts to align its innovation strategy with the performance expectations of regulators, customers, and investors in the circular economy.
The Next Generation Process pilot plant
Subsequent phases of the LCA will incorporate operational data from the Company’s Next Generation Process (NGP) pilot plant, which is currently under construction. The second phase will provide a more comprehensive, ISO-compliant assessment of all relevant life cycle stages, including feedstock sourcing and downstream product pathways. A final phase is expected to support a comparative LCA, benchmarking the hydrochemolytic process against other chemical recycling approaches.
Work will please shareholders
“Assessing the NGP pilot plant for its environmental performance and impact will help with our commercial offering. Delphi is a is an ideal partner to perform the LCA work to assess and quantify the hydrochemolytic technology’s performance and its ability to support decarbonisation,” said Ofer Vicus, CEO of Aduro. “The outcomes from this work will inform our stakeholders with a transparent and data-driven view of our environmental profile and help position our technology as a viable solution for tackling plastic waste.”
“Our goal is to deliver a robust, independent assessment of the environmental impacts and benefits of Aduro’s process,” said Stephan Wehr, vice president, climate change at Delphi.
“The phased approach provides flexibility and responsiveness to available data while adhering to LCA best practices. Having supported LCA work on other chemical recycling processes, including pyrolysis, we see this as an important opportunity to highlight how alternative pathways like hydrochemolysis may demonstrate a distinct environmental profile, particularly in terms of GHG emissions and energy intensity.”
For more information visit: www.adurocleantech.com
