July 24, 2025
Tokyo and New York - July 24, 2025 - In a major advancement for chemical recycling and circular economy solutions, R Plus Japan (RPJ) and Anellotech, Inc. (Anellotech) announced that Plas-TCat, an innovative catalytic cracking technology that transforms mixed plastic waste directly into the base chemicals used to produce new plastics, is moving toward its commercialization phase. The technology has been successfully vetted through more than 2,000 hours of plant operation at Anellotech’s 200,000 kg/year TCat-8® semi-commercial facility in Silsbee, Texas.
The recent milestone leading to completing a site-neutral Plas-TCat Process Design Package was supported by Technip Energies. It marks the culmination of a successful joint development effort between RPJ and Anellotech that began in 2020.
"Together, RPJ and Anellotech have shown that it's possible to deliver a scalable, next-generation solution that truly advances circularity for plastic waste," said Atsushi Ohtake, CEO of R Plus Japan. "This milestone highlights the strength of cross-national collaboration in addressing global sustainability challenges. We’re excited to begin the path to commercialization in Japan and beyond."
Plant trials at TCat-8 demonstrated the operational robustness, scalability, and on-stream performance of Plas-TCat. The technology uses a proven catalytic system to convert unsorted and untreated plastic waste - including PE, PP, PET, PS, PU,PC, ABS, and nylon - into high-value light olefins and aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, xylene (BTX), ethylene, and propylene, amongst other products to support the circular economy. Future plants may have pretreatment units to address halogenated feedstocks.
“Our painstaking development program tackled the well-known challenges of recycling real-world plastic waste,” said Anellotech CEO Dave Sudolsky. “At Anellotech, ‘mixed plastic waste’ does not mean mixing different colors of pure polyolefins. We combined and tested feedstocks sourced from U.S. waste management firms to mirror the composition of aggregated plastic waste found in most countries. Included are rigid and flexible plastics, with contained typical fillers like calcium carbonate and fiberglass. To further simulate realistic conditions, we added extra paper waste as well. Throughout this, our HSE staff ensured the process was safe, practical, and aligned with chemical industry best practices.”
Commercial plant discussions are now underway with motivated feedstock, offtake, and operating partners.
Plas-TCat offers a compelling and cost-effective pathway to circular plastics. Anellotech and RPJ are now focused on the early commercialization phase. Product samples are available for customer evaluation. Interested customers and partners are encouraged to tour the TCat-8. Both organizations welcome inquiries from parties interested in scaling this next-generation solution to support sustainable, global, plastic waste management.About R Plus Japan
RPJ is a consortium of leading Japanese companies committed to solving global plastic waste challenges through innovation and international collaboration. Established in 2020, and now comprising 48 member companies across consumer goods, chemicals, and waste management, RPJ is focused on advancing chemical recycling solutions that enable true circularity. rplusjapan.co.jp
About Anellotech
Anellotech is a sustainable technology company developing innovative processes for producing renewable chemicals and fuels from non-food biomass and waste plastics. Its proprietary Plas-TCat and Bio-TCat® technologies leverage catalytic cracking to deliver drop-in chemical feedstocks with significantly lower carbon footprints - essential for enabling the long-term sustainability of the chemical industry. Anellotech is now developing commercial projects through wholly owned, joint venture, and licensed business models. Plans are for the first 20KMTA commercial plants coming online in 2029, with 200 KMTA plants to follow in the 2030’s.
For more information or to schedule a site visit, please contact:
Sharon Moroney, Communications Manager
845-735-7700
July 24, 2025
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