Fortum produces biodegradable plastic from captured carbon in world first – Finland

Fortum says it captures 90% of carbon dioxide emissions from incineration of non-recyclable waste

Source: Fortum produces biodegradable plastic from captured carbon in world first | Sustainable Plastics

The energy company started operating a pilot for CO2-based plastics in April 2022 at its Riihimäki waste-to-energy plant. The first stage of the pilot programme, called Carbon2x, involved capturing carbon from the flue gases of waste incineration and combined it with hydrogen to produce methane, an intermediary material for plastics production.

Since October last year, Fortum has been focusing on reusing that captured carbon and resulting intermediary materials to produce biodegradable plastic, which it has now successfully achieved. At the time of publication, Fortum did not disclose the type of biodegradable material its CO2-based plastic is made from.

“I am very proud that our team is the first in the world to successfully produce biodegradable plastic entirely from carbon dioxide emissions,” said Tony Rehn, head of the Carbon2x programme at Fortum. “This breakthrough is a significant step towards more sustainable plastic production. This kind of development work helps to reduce dependence on fossil-based raw materials and can create new circular economy-based business.”

Fortum says it captures 90% of carbon dioxide emissions from incineration of non-recyclable waste, therefore keeping carbon from materials that couldn’t have been mechanically recycled in the loop.

According to Rehn, Fortum’s CO2-based biodegradable plastic has the same properties as traditional, fossil-based virgin plastics.