Recycling technology born out of Cambridge is hoping to fulfil its ambition in the shape of a new Luton showcase facility.

 

The new plant, scheduled to be in operation towards the back end of 2010, will allow recycling and environmental technology solutions company, Enval, to expand operations from its headquarters in Cambridge and continue development of its patented material recovery process.

Enval has been operating out of Cambridge during the last year but the larger Luton facility will provide the company with a platform for growth.

Enval’s patented technology offers a recycling route for flexible laminate packaging materials thereby reducing the quantity of waste, which is currently being sent to landfill or incinerated. 

“Enval is looking forward to showcasing its process to potential customers,” said David Boorman, business development manager at Enval.

“Enval’s new technology separates the aluminium from laminates, which means that this valuable commodity can be recycled using a process that can scale to suit the need, generate profit and make a true environmental difference. Customers will be able to visit our new engineering facility and see the fully operational pilot plant.”  

Tests with the pilot plant that Enval has carried out in Cambridge over the last 12 months have shown that the process can be used to address the challenges presented by laminate materials. The Enval process now allows packaging systems based on these materials, such as aseptic drink cartons, food pouches and toothpaste tubes, to be completely recycled in a sustainable and economically viable way.

Martin Lamb, Enval’s chairman, said: “Flexible packaging systems based on plastic/aluminium laminates are widely used because of their many positive attributes but the absence of a viable recycling process for them is a major drawback and is creating an increasing landfill problem. 

“Now though, thanks to Enval, a solution is at hand and the opening of  an engineering site in Luton is a clear demonstration of the commercial appetite that exists for the enabling technologies and services that we can offer,

“This additional facility will allow Enval to rapidly scale its operations and will be used to demonstrate the ability of the Enval pilot plant to operate continuously on significant volumes of waste.”

Enval was a spin-out from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge and is a privately funded company.

In parallel to the technical development and commercialisation of its proprietary processes, Enval also provides environmental technology consultancy, with particular emphasis on the pyrolytic recycling of complex flexible packaging materials.