France is preparing for the opening of what is described as the world’s first recycling plant dedicated to the treatment of traditionally non-recyclable materials . Carbios, an innovative company in the field, is about to launch this facility that will occupy 13 hectares and will have the capacity to process up to 50,000 tons of waste annually , equivalent to about 300 million T-shirts.
Recycling plant for non-recyclable waste
This development allows biological recycling of difficult-to-process elements, such as plastic food trays, which usually end up in incinerators. Using cutting-edge technology, the new facility in Longlaville, eastern France, will be able to handle even the poorest quality waste, which other recycling companies often reject. “We do not worry about the quality of the waste we receive, even those considered of lower quality are of interest to us“commented Emmanuel Ladent, general director of Carbios.
The process uses an enzyme developed by Carbios that, when mixed with waste in a container, decomposes its components, effectively separating polyethylene terephthalate (PET). ” We need approximately one kilogram of enzymes per ton of treated PET ,” explains Ladent. After separation, the material goes through filtration and purification stages, resulting in completely biorecycled PET that maintains its high quality.
The process is highly efficient, with Ladent noting that of every ton of waste processed, 90% is recovered as usable material. The rest becomes a “cake” of particles that can be used to generate energy, for example in cement plants . Additionally, Carbios plans to license this technology and commercialize it globally , starting with its plant near the borders with Luxembourg and Belgium.
Waste collection
The collection of PET waste will take place in a radius of 300 to 500 km around Longlaville, covering regions of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. Well-known brands such as L’Occitane, L’Oréal, Salomon and Puma already collaborate with Carbios and the company also plans to open a department specialized in textiles, a sector where currently only 13% of the material is recycled.
After a decade of research to perfect the technique known as enzymatic depolymerization , the plant is ready to operate at full capacity in 2026, offering some 150 direct and indirect jobs. The investment of 230 million euros for the plant is partially financed by the State and the Greater East region.
The inauguration of this plant, in addition to marking a milestone in waste management and recycling, establishes a precedent for future innovations in the treatment of materials that, until now, were considered non-recyclable. This approach could revolutionize the recycling industry and open new avenues for sustainability across multiple sectors.
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Source: eldebate.com
Photo: shutterstock
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