Plastic Pollution Challenge
About 100 million tons of multilayer thermoplastics are produced globally each year, popular for their effectiveness in packaging food and medical supplies. However, few people know that behind their benefits these multi-layered polymer sheets cannot be recycled using conventional methods. As a result, most ends up in landfills or being incinerated.
Solution
The CIRAC system turns aluminum laminated thermoplastic, focusing on snack and food packaging, into valuable products and materials, such as aluminum, diesel fuel and activated carbon. With the unique design of the CIRAC reactor, combined with the right pyrolysis conditions, we are able to separate the aluminum film from the waste while the remaining plastic is converted into liquid fuel (called heavy oil) – going from waste to valuable resources.
Innovation
CIRAC provides a solution for converting aluminum laminated thermoplastic waste into these valuable products:
| Aluminum
(Ready) |
Diesel
(In development) |
Activated Carbon
(Concept) |
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 |
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The CIRAC process not only cuts aluminum production cost to a third of conventional mining, but also saves on the cost and environmental impacts of landfill, incineration and extraction activities.
We are currently developing new technologies for upgrading heavy oil outputs, and in the near future, will provide three valuable products – aluminum, diesel fuel, and activated carbon.
Impact Model
The CIRAC system contributes to:
 |
SDG 14 – Life Below Water:
Our solution solves one of the most difficult to recycle plastic packaging waste. Thus reducing the leakage of this waste to the ocean, ensuring a sustainable development. |
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SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Community: Closing the loop of plastic and aluminum provides a zero waste system:
|
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SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: Reduce aluminum mining – recovering up to 30,000 tonnes per year from snack packing waste, saving USD 20 million per annum and decreasing imports by about 15%. |
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SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy: Diesel fuel produced through CIRAC provides an alternative fuel that is more environmentally friendly compared with conventional petroleum fuels, with a GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions decrease of about 14%. |
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SDG 9 – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation:
Providing a new technology for recover aluminum back from aluminum laminated thermoplastic waste. |
Business Model
Currently, the system can produce about 300 kg of aluminum from 1 ton of waste packaging, per day. Recycled aluminum fetches about USD 1 per kg, while our operating cost is about USD 0.2 per kg. This means a profit of about USD 0.8 per kg and an estimated daily profit of USD 240.
Revenue streams:
- Selling our products – aluminum, diesel fuel, and activated carbon;
- Selling technology (CIRAC).
- Selling service for recycle packaging waste
Potential customers:
- Aluminum casting companies (Selling product);
- Packaging companies (Selling product and technology);
- Waste plastic to energy companies (Selling technology);
- General waste and recycling companies;
- Municipalities (Government).
- Partnerships:
- Involving local communities, with a barter system – giving diesel fuel in return for waste collection.
Market
In Thailand, the demand for aluminum is about 1 million tonnes per year, with half currently imported. This, coupled with a demand growth rate of more than 10%, ensures a huge market for this product.
Our use of snack and food packaging waste means a more flexible process than those of competitors limited to other wastestocks (such as Polycycl, Bianna, APchemi, etc.). This lower competition for wastestock means more secure access and lower cost of supply. Moreover, CIRACis a solvent-free process, thus, not only lowering both CAPEX and OPEX, but also an environmentally friendly technology.
There are many companies using chemical processes (including pyrolysis) on recycling waste plastic. However, no one has a commercial process that can recycle aluminum laminated thermoplastic (snack packaging) like CIRAC.
Traction and Key Metrics
Pathway to growth:
2020: Joined the EPPIC program.
2021: Collaborate with snack packing production companies.
2022: Go regional (ASEAN).
2023: Go international (ASIA, EU, US, Africa, and Latin America).
Vision
We want to become the world class technology provider for recycling waste packaging.
Investment
USD 300,000 investor capital for pilot-scale plant, processing 1 ton of waste per day.
Funds used for:
- Building a standard process for commercial scale: USD 150,000;
- Research and development cost for producing diesel: USD 50,000;
- Research and development cost for producing activated carbon USD 100,000.
Contact
For more informations about us :
