October 15, 2024 - Fortum Recycling & Waste, Finland's leading waste management and recycling solutions company, has successfully produced biodegradable plastics from carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated by waste incineration at its plant in riihimki, Finland.
The new “plastics born from CO₂” brand will be introduced in November 2024 on the European market.
Production of biodegradable plastic carbon from CO2 emissions
Capture projects, which are not uncommon in several industrial sectors in Finland and globally, are mostly focused on the production of synthetic fuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS).Tony Rehn, head of the Carbon2x program, says: “Our team is the first in the world to successfully produce biodegradable plastics entirely from CO₂ emissions. This breakthrough is an important step towards more sustainable plastics production. This development work helps to reduce dependence on fossil raw materials and can create new businesses based on the circular economy.”
The Finnish company is not the first to produce biodegradable plastics from CO₂; many Chinese companies have already industrialized it.
But when it comes to capturing CO₂ directly from industrial exhaust and thus producing biodegradable plastics, the Finnish company may count itself as the first in the world. Read more about the CO₂-based family of degradable plastics in one article: the difference between PPC, PPC-P, PCU, PPC-TPU, PPC-X, PCHC, and PPC Plus Rehn says the captured CO₂ should be utilized as a new feedstock, not stored underground or released into the atmosphere when fuel is used.
Utilizing captured CO₂ is a more sustainable option in terms of addressing future resource shortages. Carbon capture and storage is a linear solution that does not address growing material shortages, while carbon capture and utilization promotes a circular economy.
Fortum Recycling & Waste's Carbon2x program piloted carbon capture and utilization in 2022. The program aims to capture CO₂ emissions from the incineration of non-recyclable waste and use them to produce sustainable products, such as biodegradable plastics.The Carbon2x program's goal is that by adopting the concept on a large scale, the recycling rate of plastic packaging in Finland could be doubled by 2030 compared to the current rate.
Plastics production needs new sustainable solutions
Plastic is an indispensable material, lightweight, durable and easy to trim, for example, for food packaging and consumer goods manufacturing. However, plastics also produce a large amount of waste, with Europe generating nearly 100 million tons of unrecycled waste each year, which is incinerated and converted into energy. According to Rehn, new sustainable solutions are needed for plastics production, such as complementary recycling and bio-based plastics. CO₂-based biodegradable plastics offer an important alternative to the market, as they have the same quality properties as traditional fossil-based virgin plastics and can be used in food and cosmetic packaging, toys, household appliances, and more.
CO₂-based biodegradable plastics can also be recycled like many other plastics, thus ending the carbon cycle. Another advantage is that even if it happens to be in nature, it breaks down and does not leave harmful microplastics in the environment.Fortum Recycling & Waste's parent company is Fortum Engineering Ltd (Fortum), one of Europe's leading energy companies, comprising NESTE Engineering, IVO Ltd and others. It operates in oil and gas, power and heat, construction, operation and maintenance, and in virtually all energy sectors. 2020 Fortum was ranked 755th on the 2020 Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest companies.
