WE MUST TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Our primary applications recover valuable resources and hydrocarbon energy products such as oil that already has been produced. This is a distinct alternative to extracting more virgin-based oil. By replacing fossil oil and gas with recovered and recycled raw material, we achieve a sustainable circular economy where waste is converted and elevated into a low-carbon resource.

Significant CO2 Reduction

Recent studies show that chemical recycling of oil-based waste, including that of scrap tires and waste plastic, has the potential to displace oil domestic demand while also at the same time reduces the carbon footprint of oil-based waste by more than 50% compared to incineration (mass burning). Our processes reduce CO2 because they produce lower emissions than incineration, and because we avoid the need to extract new oil. Each plant we build has the potential to provide a low-carbon fuel product that has been shown to have a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions.

As an example, let’s look at the yields we get from a single metric tonne of waste:

• Approximately 50 to 100 kgs are converted into a carbon char that is pelletized and used as a fuel (coal replacement) for district heating; it is also used as a replacement for fossil fuels as an alternative in the production of cement.
• Approximately 100 kgs are extracted as a natural gas product which is a mixture of methane and propane. We use this product gas, known as syngas, as a fuel to heat our process and to power our facilities. In most cases, we also have significant surplus energy which can be used for heating and cooling purposes.
• Approximately 850 kgs are extracted and cooled into a liquid oil product. A liter of this oil product tends to weigh less than a kilogram, so depending upon the plastic we process, we can end up with slightly more than 1,000 liters of oil product, demonstrating that our method is extremely efficient.

Product Upgrading into High-Value Products

At Klean Industries our process takes mixed, contaminated, low-grade plastics and rubber waste and upgrades the production oil into high-value light, middle distillates. We can take various plastics from the very bottom of the value chain and transform this waste into new resources that are repositioned at the top of the value chain. We do this all while exceeding any and all safety requirements, which means the products we produce can be chemically recycled back into food-grade packaging and medical supplies, including for the product of synthetic medication. This is a unique sales product of Klean’s technology, making our offering unique among recycling companies.

Klean’s upcycling systems provide the most beneficial use of waste and deliver the highest possible returns for both environment and the financial bottom line for any organization. The benefits of chemical recycling using waste as a feedstock are significant. The thermal breakdown and separation of hydrocarbons from mixed waste into their respective constituents’ parts so we can rebuild them is the future of the circular economy and it’s here today.

European Union Imposes Strict Regulations & Requirements for the Future

Recycling targets drive innovation. In Europe, things are changing quickly as the EU is implementing a series of measures that increases the need for many Klean Industries technologies and solutions.

Over the past 5 years, the European Union has required that all plastics have a 50% recycling rate which will increase to 55% in 2030. In a review of multiple reports, the EU estimates the current recycling rate for plastic waste is less than 10% to a maximum of 20% throughout the EU. The only way to achieve higher rates of recycling and reuse is through the recovery of resources found in hydrocarbon-based waste products and this can only be done through chemical recycling infrastructure investments.

The European Union is now implementing a €0.80 EURO / kilogram tax on non-recycled plastic packaging waste starting in 2021. It is these legislative drivers that will enable the promotion and development of the circular economy we all desperately need and want.

The EU has specifically stated that recovered / recycled carbon fuels will play a massive role in the decarbonization / climate solution for the transportation sector. This means that the recovery and recycling of oil and gas from waste is now being put on a level playing field as biofuels. Additionally, the EU has stated that we must move away from the production of palm oil and biofuel that compete with food production, and that we must convert our hydrocarbon-based waste back into reusable resources.