DePoly SA, a company based in Sion from the canton of Valais that specializes in circular materials, opened an industrial showcase plant in Monthey in early July. It is a depolymerization facility that converts polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into the material’s original monomers. According to a statement, the recovered raw materials are of virgin-grade quality and are suitable for any PET application.
DePoly was founded in 2020 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), with the goal of reintegrating plastic waste into the production chain as a valuable raw material resource. The new plant, with a nominal capacity of approximately 500 metric tons of raw materials per year, serves as a model for scaling up to commercial production and enables DePoly to demonstrate its technology at industrial scale.
“Beyond production, it will serve to optimize the process, qualify raw materials with industrial customers and prepare for the deployment of DePoly’s first commercial plant, which targets a capacity of 50,000 tons per year,” the company explains.
DePoly’s process is based on light-activated chemical depolymerization. This is capable of processing PET in under 60 minutes, without the need for high temperatures or added pressures. The process can handle a wide range of waste streams, including food packaging, polyester textiles, complex films and colored or contaminated materials. Aside from its positive environmental impact, the technology also strengthens the resilience of supply chains and reduces dependence on fossil-based materials, according to the company. ce/nta