Eastman's second US molecular recycling project has been selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) to begin award negotiations for up to $375m in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding as part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP).
The company selected the Longview site due to synergies with existing infrastructure and operations, favourable energy supply and footprint, and access to western and central US feedstock pools. The location also provides enough space for onsite renewable energy.
Eastman's Longview molecular recycling facility will have the capacity to recycle approximately 110,000 metric tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic waste.
"We are excited to build our second US world-scale molecular recycling facility at our existing site in Texas," said Mark Costa, board chair and CEO. "The plant will remove significant waste from the region, enable true circularity and set a new benchmark for decarbonisation. We have decades of history successfully operating in Longview, and this will be a great investment for the local community."
The company was selected by the DOE to accelerate the demonstration of industry-leading low-carbon intensity recycled PET with this project. Reaching a collaborative agreement with the DOE enables expanding the project to include the deployment of thermal heat batteries and onsite solar power. This, combined with Eastman's next-generation methanolysis technology, achieves a step-change improvement in decarbonising PET production resulting in recycled PET with greater than 70% reduced carbon emissions compared to fossil virgin production, and approximately 90% reduced carbon emissions when including avoided emissions.
"We are honoured to be selected by the DOE to help fund this important project," Costa continued. "The commitment helps us to further invest in the local community with a comprehensive community benefits plan. The support of these partners is a testament to our technology and the difference we can make for future generations."
