Formulator and licensor of the CreaSolv® process for solvent-based plastics recycling.
CreaCycle GmbH
GrevenbroichNew on Amplifa
About CreaCycle
CreaCycle GmbH, based in Grevenbroich, is the formulator and supplier of the patented CreaSolv® formulations as well as a process-licensing partner for the CreaSolv® process, a physical, solvent-based separation and recycling process for plastics. In this process, polymers are separated and cleaned from waste streams while the polymer chains are preserved; additives and contaminants such as flame retardants or plasticizers are removed, so that recyclates can be reused in their original applications. The process is suitable, among others, for PE, PP, PS/EPS, ABS, HIPS, PC, PVC, PET, PA, PLA, PBT, PUR and epoxy, as well as for separating metal-plastic composites and recovering glass and carbon fibers. CreaCycle works closely with Fraunhofer IVV as process licensor and LÖMI GmbH as plant manufacturer, and supports projects in packaging, construction, electronics (WEEE), automotive and composites. Referenced projects include plants with Unilever (Indonesia), PolyStyreneLoop (Netherlands), Circular Packaging (Lober), MultiCycle and Circular Flooring.
- Site
- Grevenbroich
- Processes
- CreaSolv® process (physical solvent-based separation/recycling process), Density sorting / density separation, Extruclean (cleaning with CO2 in the extruder, focus on polyolefins and styrenic plastics), Compounding / upgrading of the recycled polymer, Injection molding (validation trials for demonstrators), Blown film pilot extrusion (packaging films with rPE), Melt spinning / multifilament extrusion, Extrusion (re-extrusion of the recycled polystyrene)
- Materials
- Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Expanded polystyrene (EPS), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyamide (PA), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- Certificates
- ATEX 2014/34/EU (demonstration plant)
- Industries
- Plastics recycling, Packaging, Construction industry, Composites, Electronics/Waste electrical equipment (WEEE), Automotive
- 01
Receive waste and plastic fractions
- 02
Density sorting / pre-treatment
- 03
CreaSolv® extraction and polymer solution
- 04
Filtration and separation of polymer and solvent
- 05
Precipitation and drying of the recyclate
- 06
Upgrading (compounding, extrusion, injection molding)
- 07
Return into new products
Locations
Grevenbroich
DEHeadquarters, formulation and process development
- Lot size
- Sampling trials 500–1,000 kg recyclate
- Materials
- PE, PP, PS, EPS, ABS, PC, PVC, PET, PA
- CreaSolv® formulations
- Cooperation with LÖMI demonstration plant (25 kg/h)
- Cooperation with Fraunhofer IVV pilot facility (15–20 kg/h)
Projects & Plants
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreaSolv® process (physical solvent-based separation/recycling process)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Expanded polystyrene (EPS), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyamide (PA), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), Polylactide (PLA), HIPS, PBT, PUR, EP, Copper |
| Density sorting / density separationPlastics | – | – | – | – | PP, PE, ABS, PS, HIPS, PC, PVC |
| Extruclean (cleaning with CO2 in the extruder, focus on polyolefins and styrenic plastics)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PP, PE, ABS, PS |
| Compounding / upgrading of the recycled polymerPlastics | – | – | – | – | ABS, HIPS, PC, PC/ABS |
| Injection molding (validation trials for demonstrators)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PC/ABS |
| Blown film pilot extrusion (packaging films with rPE)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PE, BioPE |
| Melt spinning / multifilament extrusionPlastics | – | – | – | – | PA6, PA6.6, PA12, BioPA, PET |
| Extrusion (re-extrusion of the recycled polystyrene)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PS, EPS |
| Thermochemical conversion (pyrolysis)Plastics | – | – | – | – | WEEE plastic waste |
| Catalytic hydrogenation (inactivation of phthalates)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PVC |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreaSolv® demonstration plant (multi-purpose plant) | LÖMI GmbH LÖMI/GAW CreaSolv® demonstration plant | 1 | Floor area 350 m², hall 800 m², 7 m height, piping >1000 m, rated capacity 25 kg/h | 2019 | Germany |
| CreaSolv® PVC prototype recycling plant | Fraunhofer IVV | 1 | Capacity 15-20 kg/h or >50 kg per day, >100 m² explosion-protected area on 2 floors | 2023 | Fraunhofer IVV, Freising |
| PSLoop CreaSolv® demonstration plant for EPS recycling | ENGIE (now Equans) / EPC Engineering & Technologies | 1 | 3,300 tonnes of polystyrene foam waste per year | 2021 | Next to ICL-IP plant, Netherlands |
| CreaSolv® pilot plant for PE sachet packaging | LÖMI GmbH | 1 | approx. 3 tonnes of sachet packaging waste per day | 2017 | Indonesia (Unilever) |
| CreaSolv® pilot plant for packaging composite films | LÖMI GmbH | 1 | Capacity 5 m³ plastic waste per day (pilot plant), upscaling factor 15 to the demonstration plant | 2020 | Company Lober GmbH & Co. Abfallentsorgungs KG |
| Blown film pilot extrusion plant | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| Spinmaster multifilament pilot extrusion plant | Spinmaster | 1 | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
The demonstration plant complies with the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU (TRL 7); recyclate qualities are validated, among others, against EU REACH and RoHS requirements as well as the Basel POP directives.
| Evidence | Grevenbroich |
|---|---|
| ATEX 2014/34/EU (demonstration plant) |
History
- 2001
Fraunhofer IVV conducted a feasibility study on solvent-based EPS recycling for CreaCycle GmbH and Heger GmbH
- 2003
Start of the EPS-Loop project with a consortium of eleven companies (duration 18 months, €1.1 million)
- 2004
WRAP comparison study (until 2006): CreaSolv process performed best economically and ecologically
- 2006
Toyota-SiCon pilot project for recovering polyolefins from shredder light fraction (2006-2007)
- 2010
Start of the Poly-Ressource project under the BMBF KMU-innovativ program
- 2014
Sunpor GmbH commissioned Fraunhofer IVV with the CreaSolv application for ETICS demolition; start of the ForCYCLE project (until 2016)
- 2014
Start of the SustRecPLA research project on PLA bioplastic recycling (FNR/BMEL)
- 2015
Unilever awarded contracts for the construction of the CreaSolv pilot plant for sachet recycling
- 2017
Foundation of the PolyStyreneLoop cooperative in Amsterdam (more than 70 members, 13 countries)
- 2018
Start of the MultiCycle project (until April 2022, €9.7 million, of which €7.7 million EU funding) and Circular Packaging (BMBF, €3.12 million)
- 2018
Unilever announced the full operational readiness of the CreaSolv pilot plant in Indonesia (~€10 million invested, ~3 t/day)
- 2019
LÖMI GmbH built the CreaSolv demonstration plant for the MultiCycle project; start of the EU projects NONTOX (€5 million) and Circular Flooring (€5.4 million, until May 2023)
- 2021
Inauguration of the PSLoop demo plant (3,300 t PS foam waste/year); Circular Packaging pilot plant in operation since autumn 2020
- 2022
CreaSolv process took 2nd place at the ALLIANCE PRIZE of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste in New York; LÖMI demo plant available for sampling trials from May
- 2023
Opening of the large-scale center for recycling solvent-containing plastics at Fraunhofer IVV
- 2024
Closing conference of Circular Flooring in Brussels: plasticizer-free PVC recyclates demonstrated in accordance with EU REACH