A breakthrough in PVC recycling

We are excited to share the latest progress in our PVC Upcycling with Supercritical CO₂ project, co-financed by Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) , Provincie Groningen and the European Union.

A team of ENTEG researchers (Professors Peter Deuss, Ranjita Bose, Edita Jurak, and Francesco Picchioni) made significant advances in PVC recycling. Experimental work has been carried out in cooperation with the company Cessco2 since the start of the project in 2023. We are happy to share that at the moment, two significant problems connected to PVC recycling, namely the removal of plasticizers and lead (Pb)-based stabilizers, have been successfully achieved by using supercritical CO₂. The obtained results clearly testify that the used approach (as originally proposed by Cessco2) constitutes indeed a possible solution to these problems. Activities are currently being carried out on the separation of PVC from other polymeric materials after the delivery of the corresponding equipment in December 2026.

This achievement marks a critical step forward in sustainable PVC recycling, demonstrating the potential of supercritical CO₂ technology to address longstanding challenges.

Learn more about this project or contact Francesco Picchioni.