Germany-based recycler Revalyu has begun building a new PET recycling facility in the US later than expected, leading to a delay in the facility's projected startup.
The $200mn project in Statesboro, Georgia, will use glycolysis to recycle as much as 200mn lb/yr (90,000 t/yr) of PET, Revalyu said. It will be the company's first US recycling plant.
The ground breaking occurred last week rather than in the first-half of the year as the company expected in February. The plant is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025, delayed from a prior 2024 timeline.
Revalyu uses glycolysis to recycle PET, a technology that Eastman Chemical and Texas-based Reterra have used for years. Compared to virgin PET, manufacturing Revalyu's rPET pellet requires 75pc less water and 91pc less energy, the company said.
Revalyu recycles PET at a plant in Nashik, India, and has recycled 6bn plastic bottles using glycolysis technology.
"Huge demand" in the US drove the decision to build in Georgia, allowing the company to save on transportation and logistics costs, while also reducing carbon emissions, Revalyu said.
