Versalis, Eni's chemical division, has introduced a demonstration plant at its Mantua facility, utilizing Hoop® - the company’s new proprietary technology designed for the chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste.

Source: Hydrocarbon Engineering

This groundbreaking technology complements mechanical recycling and allows for the conversion of mixed plastic waste into feedstock, which can then be transformed into new plastic materials suitable for a variety of applications, including food contact packaging and pharmaceutical packaging.

Hoop was developed in collaboration with the Italian engineering firm Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo (S.R.S), resulting in a cutting-edge technology that achieves high material recovery rates and offers exceptional flexibility regarding input materials. This advancement is made possible by integrating a high thermal performance pyrolysis reactor with Versalis's expertise in polymer property analysis and production process optimization through Artificial Intelligence systems.

Construction of the Hoop demonstration plant, which spans approximately 5,000 m² within the Mantua site, commenced at the end of October 2023. During this phase, over 25 specialized contractors participated, with an average daily workforce of around 70 individuals. Recently, the initial production tests were successfully completed.

The facility is designed to process 6,000 tons per year of secondary raw material, aiming to validate the technology's application on an industrial scale. According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the Eni-Versalis Chemical Transformation Plan signed last March with the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), a larger facility with a capacity of 40,000 tons is planned for construction at the Priolo site in Sicily. The feasibility study has already been completed, and the design phase is currently underway in preparation for the permitting process.

Today we are giving further substance and value to circularity, one of the pillars of Versalis’s transformation plan. The Hoop plant we are opening today is a symbol of the path we are following – harnessing innovation to reshape our business through new industrial initiatives based on circularity, biochemistry and specialisation, in pursuit of increased sustainability. We are committed to addressing all three of sustainability core dimensions: environmental, social and economic.

^{Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis}

SC-HOOP, the project name for the demonstration plant based on Hoop technology at Mantua, is the only large-scale project in Italy to receive funding from the 2023 EU Innovation Fund call, selected from 239 proposals overall. This Fund, established by the European Commission, supports innovative low-carbon technologies. Furthermore, the patent has been chosen by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy to be featured among Italy's successful innovations, both in the themed exhibition ‘L’Italia dei Brevetti’ [Italy of Patents] (taking place in Rome from November 2024 to March 2025) and at the Italian Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.