Advanced BioFuels USA

Brightmark Wants Your Plastic Waste . . . All of It

by Clare Goldsberry (Plastics Today) San Francisco–based Brightmark wants to procure 1.2 million tons per year of post-use plastic types 1 through 7 from the eastern half of the United States to recycle into fuel and new materials at its plastics renewal plants. — Got plastic waste? Bring it on, says Brightmark, which is looking to procure 1,200,000 tons per year of post-use plastic types 1 through 7 from the eastern half of the United States. It will recycle the plastic waste at its existing and soon-to-be-built plastics renewal plants nationwide.

A waste solutions provider based in San Francisco, Brightmark announced that it is launching the largest ever solicitation of plastic waste to deploy its proven circular solution for converting all types of used plastic into sustainable fuel and other high-value products. Brightmark said that this initiative showcases the company’s ability to provide a solution for a recycling industry that faces the end of plastic exports and the disruption of curbside collection programs nationwide following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bob Powell, founder and CEO of Brightmark, told PlasticsToday that the company is currently receiving hard-to-recycle types 3 to 7 plastics. “From a value perspective, PET bottles are better being mechanically recycled but we can take it all, as our technology works better with a mixed array,” said Powell. “We want a lot of it —bring it on.”

Got plastic waste? Bring it on, says Brightmark, which is looking to procure 1,200,000 tons per year of post-use plastic types 1 through 7 from the eastern half of the United States. It will recycle the plastic waste at its existing and soon-to-be-built plastics renewal plants nationwide.

The company’s first advanced plastics recycling plant, serving the broader Midwest market from its location in northeast Indiana, is now in testing and will be at production scale by early next year. The company is in the final phases of determining locations for its next recycling facilities in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, or Texas.

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Brightmark’s proprietary plastics renewal technology takes single-stream, post-use plastics and converts them into ultra-low sulfur diesel, naphtha, and wax at a reportedly unprecedented scale. The process also is capable of creating the building blocks for new plastics, thus enabling a circular economy in the plastics industry. To date, the company has successfully disrupted particularly challenging waste streams, including boat shrink wrap, e-waste, and children’s car seats. READ MORE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Doug Sombke and Jim Seurer

“For many years now, South Dakota has led the way in proving that E30 blends can be used effectively in any vehicle. In fact, our Watertown E30 Challenge conclusively proved that E30’s high octane and more complete combustion improves vehicle performance, enabling more power, emitting less pollution, and saving consumers billions of dollars at the pump.

For 30 years, EPA has refused to enforce a mandatory law that requires it to reduce gasoline’s carcinogenic compounds to the “greatest achievable extent” by replacing them with ethanol’s superior, safe, low-carbon “clean octane.” With a stroke of his pen, President Trump could force EPA to do its job.” –Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union and Jim Seurer (Glacial Lakes Energy) writing in the Argus Leader. READ MORE

Federal University of Goiás Work on Indigenous and Quilombolas Community Health Advocacy Plan Wins EU-funded Advocacy Award

(Federal University of Goiás) A collective effort led by Advanced Biofuels USA board member, Dr. Laís Forti Thomaz, won recognition