The Demeto project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and has now been officially launched.

Demeto aims to enable chemical de-polymerisation of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at industrial scale based on its microwave-based process intensification, focusing as a start on coloured bottles.

During its opening event at the end of September, the consortium welcomed around 60 experts from the PET packaging and polyester industry and gave an insight into the Demeto project.

The core technology of Demeto has been invented gr3n to enable an effective process strengthening of the depolymerisation reaction of plastic, from bottles as much as from any other source.

Maurizio Crippa, CEO of gr3n, said: “Demeto proposes the industrialisation and demonstration at full scale of a new industrial process which allows [us] to chemically recycle PET bottles, food containers and even textiles in a highly profitable and environmentally substantial way.”

Franco Cavadini, CTO of Synesis, added: “Demeto’s technology, once successfully implemented, would allow [us] to close the recycling loop for PET, with a potential impact on environment and society at large that would be enormous, introducing the concept of full circular economy in the plastic domain.”

The complete Demeto Consortium includes Actor, DTU, European Outdoor Group, European Plastics Converters, Fricke and Mallah GmbH, gr3n, H&M, Neogroup, Processi Innovativi, Petcia, Supsi, Synesis, and 3V Tech.

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