UPPACT is proud to announce that it will take the first major step towards commercial production in 2024. The new DEMO factory, with a processing capacity of 4,000 tons per year, will be located in the Chemport Innovation Center of Groningen Seaports in Delfzijl.

The official agreement between UPPACT and the Chemport Innovation Center was signed on Thursday, January 11 during the Groningen Seaports New Year's reception at the same CIC.

Jan Jaap Folmer, co-founder and director of UPPACT, sees this development as a crucial milestone. "Over the past two years we have validated our unique technology and tested various plastic and textile waste streams using our pilot installation in the Eemshaven. Now we will set up the scaled-up first production line in the Chemport Innovation Center and roll out the complete circular concept, including the organized supply of waste flows and the introduction of circular products to the market."

The Unwastor, the mixer/melter that is in the pilot installation at maritime waste collector Bek & Verburg in Eemshaven, is a groundbreaking Australian invention. The device can mechanically transform difficult-to-recycle plastic and textile waste into a homogeneous and consistent mass, ideal for the production of thick-walled building materials such as solid poles and planks. Currently, most of the waste that UPPACT will process ends up in incinerators or the cement industry. Folmer emphasizes: "This not only results in the loss of valuable raw materials, but also causes harmful emissions and CO2 emissions. Moreover, it accounts for more than half of all plastic and textile waste in the Netherlands, making the impact of our activities significant. "

With regard to the scaled-up facility at the Chemport Innovation Center, UPPACT has indicated that it is well advanced in the second round of financing. Completion of this phase is expected very soon, so that the DEMO factory can be started up this year.

The Chemport Innovation Center welcomes UPPACT with open arms to the former iron smelter in Farmsum. Cas König, CEO of Groningen Seaports says: "UPPACT fits perfectly into our concept of facilitating the growth of scale-ups that fit into the Northern ecosystem. We have also set up the Chemport Innovation Center in Delfzijl for this purpose. We look forward to a successful collaboration and the positive impact that this innovative company will have on sustainability, environmental conservation and circularity in the Northern Netherlands."