Trinseo PLC announced the opening of its polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerization facility in Rho, Italy, on June 25. The pilot facility represents a significant step forward in the Company's commitment to sustainability, as the next-generation recycling technology helps advance a circular infrastructure for acrylic solutions and is aligned with Trinseo's 2030 Sustainable Product Portfolio Goals. Depolymerization is a chemical recycling process that returns acrylic solutions to the constituent monomer,methyl methacrylate (MMA).

Complementary to other recycling technologies, depolymerization helps close the loop for acrylic recycling with several advantages over traditional processes. By utilizing this technology, acrylic solutions can be recycled--including PMMA sheets, which previously could not be mechanically recycled. Additionally, returning the material to its monomer form allows additives and contaminants to be removed from pre- and post-consumer acrylic products.

This enables more PMMA to be recycled. Trinseo's PMMA depolymerization facility delivers a next-generation technology, utilizing an advanced continuous process to produce high-purity regenerated MMA from pre- and post- consumer acrylic solutions.