Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary MyRechemical, NextChem’s subsidiary dedicated to waste-to-chemicals technologies, has been awarded by Alia Servizi Ambientali S.p.A. a basic engineering contract for a waste to methanol and H₂ plant to be in Empoli (Tuscany), Italy.

The scope of work includes basic engineering design of the plant and the provision of necessary documentation to start the plant’s public authorization process with the Tuscany region. The basic engineering phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Once authorized and completed, the plant will process 256,000 tpy of non-recyclable waste and will produce 125,000 tpy of methanol and 1,400 tpy of H₂. The plant will benefit from MyRechemical’s chemical conversion technology which allows the recovery of waste that cannot be mechanically recycled, or other types of unsortable dry waste (i.e., refuse derived fuel – RDF). The carbon and H₂ contained in the waste are converted through a gasification process into a synthesis gas, which is used to produce low-carbon methanol and H₂. This process avoids the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere. Methanol is used as an alternative fuel for sustainable mobility or as a secondary raw material in the chemicals and manufacturing industries. H₂ can be used in low-carbon industrial processes to decarbonize hard-to-abate and energy intensive industries.

Alessandro Bernini, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem said, “This is one of the more interesting waste-to-chemicals initiatives that Maire Tecnimont is developing in Italy. This is the first application worldwide of an integrated technological scheme that allows to produce methanol from waste for sustainable mobility and hydrogen that will substitute methane in glass production processes, enabling both recycling and industrial symbiosis. It responds to the core need of circular economy and creates the bases of a new era of waste as a resource.”

“It will be possible to push the limits forward in recovering material from waste only by using more technology and innovation. We have signed a strategic partnership with Maire Tecnimont, leader in the Italian chemistry tradition,” said Alberto Irace, Chief Executive Officer of Alia. “This represents a model of strategic alliance for circularity where Maire Tecnimont, Zignago, Suez and Alia, all leading companies in technology and industry, are joining their forces to design and realize a sustainable future.”