{"id":2103,"date":"2020-03-30T07:57:20","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T07:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=2103"},"modified":"2020-04-07T06:20:42","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T06:20:42","slug":"turning-plastic-waste-into-sustainable-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/tech_innovation\/turning-plastic-waste-into-sustainable-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Plastic Waste Into Sustainable Products"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Turning plastic waste into sustainable products\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ijAH_XoDHuo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Plastic waste is one of the most recognized environmental issues in this day and age. From global recycling failures to ocean pollution and trying to do away with single-use items, it all boils down to the same question: what do we do with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41599-018-0212-7\">hundreds of millions of tons<\/a> of plastics still manufactured every year, and worse, the billions that have accumulated in the landfills and oceans all over the planet? An Israeli-led company offers a new industrial process that transforms used plastic into new source materials for other manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>From Vision to\nReality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clariter.com\/\">Clariter<\/a> is\nan international company with a\nhome base in Israel. Its patented technology offers a potential opportunity\nto overcome the plastic waste challenge by turning it into a new value chain\nthat is independent of fossil fuels and its emissions. The technology further\noffers an alternative to traditional recycling, which converts plastics into\nother plastics (mechanically) or to fuel \u2013 both are not ideal, environmentally\nspeaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the \u2018quick exit\u2019\nfantasy of many high-tech startups \u2013 and like many clean-tech companies that require\nlong development cycles \u2013 Clariter was a long time in the making. It was established\nin 2003 by Dr. Ran Sharon, an Israeli entrepreneur, following a chance\nencounter with Professor Andrzej Bylicki, an elderly Polish chemist, whose research led Sharon\nto pursue an idea about converting post-industrial plastics into wax, solvents,\nand oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company currently produces materials for a range of products such as candles, shoe care, lubricants, coatings, and cleaning solutions. This range might be expanded due to increased capacity or regulatory approvals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, over the next\ntwo years, they improved the idea and developed the proof-of-concept for a\nprocess that can upcycle most types of plastic. In 2006, Clariter opened a\npilot plant in Gliwice, Poland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariter_Candle__Lamp_Oil-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariter_Candle__Lamp_Oil-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariter_Candle__Lamp_Oil-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariter_Candle__Lamp_Oil-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariter_Candle__Lamp_Oil-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariter_Candle__Lamp_Oil-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Clariter offers a new industrial process that transforms used plastic into new source materials for other manufacturers. Photo by Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years, with a\ntotal investment of some \u20ac35 million Euro (~ $38 million) \u2013 mostly from private\nsources \u2013 the company expanded its R&amp;D (Research and Development) center in\nPoland. Backed by a development bank, Clariter has recently unveiled a\nmanufacturing plant in the town of East London in South Africa. During this period, the company\u2019s\nregistered patents for their processes. Clariters products meet FDA standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The South African plant\nis a demonstration and training site, aimed at scaling up the R&amp;D facility to\ntreat some 1,000 tons of plastic waste per year (mainly Polyethylene,\nPolypropylene, and Polystyrene) and further test various industrial variables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Plastic Candles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So how does it work?\nFirst, the plastic is thermally \u201ccracked\u201d into liquid, which is then refined\ninto two types of hydrocarbons. Subsequently, the hydrocarbons are distilled\nand either separated or mixed into the desired output: oil, solvents, or wax.\nThe company maintains that their end-products are of high-quality and pure: for\nexample, the oil they produce is clear, odorless, and without toxins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clariter\u2019s solution might\nhave the potential to tackle the plastic waste problem, reduce the dependency\non newly-sourced fossil fuels, and provide materials for a local manufacturing\necosystem in the community (that the company calls CalriCluster), but is Clariter\nitself sustainable? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an email interview, the company\u2019s R&amp;D Manager Daria&nbsp;Fr\u0105czak explains that \u201cClariter\u2019s process has two byproducts &#8211; char and synthetic gas, both of which could be reused: the char by asphalt producers, and the gas by the plant\u2019s own energy demand. \u201cThe results of a Life Cycle Assessment we conducted show that currently, Clariter\u2019s CO<sub>2<\/sub> footprint is preferable to incineration (even including energy recovery), pyrolysis (thermal decomposition), and landfilling,\u201d Fr\u0105czak says. She adds that \u201cthe advantages of using thermal cracking are found in the hydro-refining of our process that we use in combination with this cracking method. The major advantage of Clariter\u2019s process compared to other polyolefins (one of the most widely used types of plastics) chemical recyclers is that we create high-value final products in one plant without the need for petrochemical plants.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariwax_products-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariwax_products-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariwax_products-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariwax_products-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariwax_products-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Clariwax_products-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>The company currently produces materials for a range of products such as candles, shoe care, lubricants, coatings, and cleaning solutions. Photo by Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Future Plans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With some 80 employees in 3 continents, the company wants to take the next step and establish a full scale-plant which might be built in Israel. \u201cIn Israel,\u201d explains Clariter\u2019s VP of Business Development, Yariv Eldar \u201cas in other geographies, the facility needs a steady stream of plastic waste at a required quality, quantity, availability, and price. In addition, site permits (both environmental and construction), investments, and a possibility to sell the products are also needed. Help from all relevant authorities would be a great step toward the realization of a Clariter facility that will help to clean up Israel\u2019s plastic waste.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new full-scale plants should be able to handle some 60,000 tons of plastic annually. At this scale, which potentially results in some 50,000 tons of products, the plant would also be profitable. The company plans to construct five additional plants by 2028, perhaps in a joint venture arrangement. Clariter expects to build these factories in urban settings, given their low environmental footprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another potential avenue\nfor growth is landfill recovery programs. &nbsp;Eldar adds that \u201cone such partnership is under discussion in\nPoland where one landfill contains about 1.2 billion cubic meters of material,\nwith 25 meters above and &nbsp;20 meters below\nground, which should supply a steady stream of plastic waste to our process for\nmany years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can Clariter scale-up to help address the plastic challenge? The need is definitely there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/turning-plastic-waste-into-sustainable-wax-oil-solvents\/\">Israel21c<\/a>&nbsp;on 03\/24\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plastic waste is one of the most recognized environmental issues in this day and age. From global recycling failures to &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":2104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1586240442:11"],"_oembed_6019d5f2ac91aa48e2a5c1e8e000f0ec":["<iframe title=\"Turning plastic waste into sustainable products\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ijAH_XoDHuo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_6019d5f2ac91aa48e2a5c1e8e000f0ec":["1585555030"],"_thumbnail_id":["2104"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["A recently unveiled technology from an Israeli-led company might help combat the globally mounting plastic problem"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2103"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2149,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103\/revisions\/2149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}