Agilyx, a chemical recycling technology provider, has successfully demonstrated its depolymerisation technology in Japan.  

The technology was installed at Toyo Styrene's chemical recycling facility, which has the capacity to recycle ten tons (t) per day. 

Using Agilyx’s technology, the facility will convert post-use polystyrene into styrene monomer. Polystyrene is a plastic used to make various consumer products. 

This monomer is then used to produce polystyrene products with a substantially reduced carbon footprint, compared to those made from virgin materials. 

Construction of the Toyo Styrene plant was completed in March 2024, and the commissioning process commenced shortly thereafter.  

During the last week, the facility achieved a breakthrough by successfully converting polystyrene to an on-specification product.  

This marks the latest advancement of Agilyx's technology and positions the Toyo Styrene plant as a showcase for this innovative process. 

Agilyx interim CEO Russ Main said: "Agilyx's technology has proven its effectiveness with the successful production of on-spec product during the commissioning process at Toyo's facility. 

"This achievement brings us one step closer to project completion on the first polystyrene chemical recycling facility in Japan." 

Over the coming months, Agilyx and Toyo Styrene will continue their collaboration to further optimise the facility's performance.  

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Agilyx’s technology is designed to tackle the challenge of recycling complex post-use plastics into high-value, virgin-equivalent products.  

The company holds 20 patents and claimed to become the first to create a commercial-scale waste polystyrene chemical recycling facility through pyrolysis, enabling a closed-loop plastic-to-plastic process. 

In December last year, Agilyx and its joint venture partners ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell announced taking the final investment decision to build their first circularity centre in Houston, US.