Japan set for Hydro-PRT plastic recycling project

The Hydro-PRT technology, licensed by Mura and KBR, can recycle end-of-life plastic that would otherwise be incinerated, sent to landfill or leak into the environment. By converting mixed plastics back into fossil-replacement oils and chemicals, Hydro-PRT enables plastic waste to be upgraded into new plastics and other products including road materials.

The HydroPRS system uses supercritical steam to convert plastics back into the oils and chemicals they were originally made from, allowing them to be used for new virgin-grade plastic products with no limit to the number of times the same material can be recycled. 

Thanks to the use of the steam, which cuts longer-chain hydrocarbon bonds in plastics to produce valuable chemicals, the process is described as ‘inherently scalable’ when compared to other methods. 

“Plastic waste is polluting our environment at an alarming rate, not to mention the carbon emissions caused by utilising the fossil fuels needed to make virgin plastics,” said Dr Steve Mahon, CEO of Mura Technology. “We need global, sustainable, and scalable solutions today.