Aduro Joins Plastics Associations to Support Industry Collaboration
Canada-based Aduro Clean Technologies Inc. has announced its membership in both the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a collaborative initiative of PLASTICS focused on advancing polystyrene recycling solutions.
As underlined by the Canadian clean technological company, the PSRA brings together stakeholders from across the polystyrene value chain. The alliance would promote “both mechanical and advanced recycling approaches aimed at improving recovery rates and creating viable end markets for polystyrene materials”. The membership in PLASTICS would connect Aduro to a broad network of resin producers, recyclers, converters, and brand owners committed to driving sustainability and circularity in the plastics industry. Through this association, the company would participate in working groups and policy discussions “that shape the regulatory frameworks, standards, and infrastructure needed to expand the role of chemical recycling and advanced conversion technologies”. According to Aduro, by joining the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance, the firm is “contributing to a collaborative industry effort focused on addressing the systemic and material-specific challenges of polystyrene recovery, such as limited collection infrastructure, low recycling rates, and public misperceptions”. These challenges were central to PSRA’s mission to expand access to and adoption of both mechanical and advanced recycling solutions. Aduro’s early-stage work in converting polystyrene into targeted hydrocarbon intermediates using its Hydrochemolytic Technology aligns with PSRA’s objectives to support innovation, data sharing, and viable end-market development.
The process
Hydrochemolytic Technology (HCT), developed by Aduro, works with water along with a catalyst at moderate temperatures to cleave carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bonds in polymers, resulting in lower-molecular-weight compounds. As reported by the company, unlike other technologies that rely on high thermal input to effect uncontrolled rupture of polymer molecules, HCT operates under gentler conditions, enabling controlled reaction pathways. “The catalyzed, selective chemistry of HCT results in higher yields of hydrocarbon products with high functional group purity with minimal loss of polymer feedstock to undesired by-products such as char or heavy tar and gases. Experiments conducted on bench and large lab-scale flow-through units have demonstrated the applicability of HCT to convert post-consumer polystyrene into defined hydrocarbon intermediates such as toluene, ethylbenzene, and cumene. These outputs are compatible with downstream chemical infrastructure and require no further upgrading. While further development and validation are ongoing, these results underscore the potential of HCT to produce valuable chemical products and intermediates from difficult-to-recycle feedstocks and reflect Aduro’s technical strength in the valorization of waste streams”, the Canadian company pointed out.
Pilot plant
Aduro is currently constructing its Next Generation Process (NGP) Pilot Plant in London, Ontario. Designed to operate under continuous flow conditions, the plant is to support the evaluation of Hydrochemolytic Technology (HCT) using real-world feedstocks. “Its modular and scalable design enables flexibility for project-specific applications across a range of customer needs. Aduro’s participation in the PSRA complements this development by facilitating technical exchange, sample coordination, and closer alignment with evolving industry requirements,” the information said.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2025, Page 25)
