Advancing Chemical Recycling from Lab to Pilot Scale — and Toward First-of-a-Kind Industrial Deployment
Chemical recycling is increasingly viewed as a necessary complement to mechanical recycling, particularly for mixed and contaminated plastic waste streams that are difficult to process using conventional methods. Aduro Clean Technologies Inc., a chemical technology developer headquartered in London, Ontario, is advancing Hydrochemolytic™ Technology designed to address these challenges — progressing from laboratory validation through pilot-scale operation and toward a First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) industrial plant.
While laboratory-scale chemical recycling has demonstrated promising chemistry, the transition to pilot-scale operation introduces a very different set of engineering realities. Scaling a process is not simply a matter of increasing reactor size; it requires addressing feedstock variability, continuous operation, heat and mass transfer, product recovery, and system reliability — all under sustained operating conditions.
At bench scale, experiments are typically performed using small batch or microreactor systems under tightly controlled conditions. These systems benefit from efficient heat transfer, simple hydrodynamics, and well-characterized feedstocks. However, as processes move toward continuous pilot-scale operation, these advantages diminish. Real-world plastic waste introduces variability in polymer composition, additives, fillers, moisture, and contaminants, all of which influence process behaviour.
In Hydrochemolytic™ recycling environments, this variability affects melt behaviour, phase interactions, and the stabilization of reaction intermediates. Pilot-scale systems must therefore be designed for robustness rather than idealized feed conditions. Experience has shown that accommodating feedstock variability at the process design level is more effective than relying on extensive downstream correction.
Continuous operation represents another critical inflection point. While batch systems are well suited for early development, commercial relevance depends on stable, repeatable continuous processing. In continuous flow systems, residence time becomes an explicit design variable, linked to flow rates, reactor geometry, and multiphase behaviour. Small disturbances can propagate through the system, influencing conversion, product distribution, and operability.
Heat and mass transfer also emerge as key constraints during scale-up. Laboratory systems can mask thermal gradients and mixing limitations that become significant in larger reactors processing molten polymers or multiphase mixtures. Managing temperature uniformity, preventing localized hot spots, and maintaining predictable behaviour require careful reactor design, agitation strategies, and staged heating and condensation.
Product recovery and phase management are equally important. Pilot-scale chemical recycling processes often generate multiple gas, liquid, and solid fractions. Designing condensation, separation, and handling systems that can manage fluctuating compositions and flow rates is essential for establishing reliable material balances and evaluating downstream compatibility.
As technologies advance beyond pilot scale, the role of a First-of-a-Kind industrial plant becomes critical. FOAK facilities serve as the bridge between pilot development and broader commercial deployment. Rather than being optimized for maximum throughput, FOAK plants are designed to validate integrated system performance, confirm operability under industrial conditions, and reduce technical, operational, and scale-related risk.
For chemical recycling, FOAK deployment provides the opportunity to demonstrate continuous operation at meaningful scale, evaluate long-term equipment performance, and refine control strategies using real-world feedstocks. Data generated at this stage informs subsequent replication, standardization, and cost-reduction efforts, forming the basis for future commercial roll-out.
Beyond equipment and chemistry, operability remains central. FOAK plants, like pilot facilities, are learning environments. Instrumentation, automation, maintenance access, and operator feedback all play a significant role in system reliability and performance. Designing with these factors in mind accelerates learning cycles and supports a smoother transition to follow-on plants.
Aduro is advancing its Hydrochemolytic™ Technology through this staged scale-up pathway — from laboratory development, through pilot-scale validation, and toward FOAK industrial deployment. By focusing on scalable, continuous process design and real-world feedstock tolerance, the company contributes to the broader engineering effort required to make chemical recycling a practical and industrially relevant solution.
Website: www.adurocleantech.com
