Versalis has inaugurated a demonstration plant in Mantua based on its innovative Hoop® chemical recycling technology. The plant marks a step forward in circular plastic solutions, enabling efficient conversion of plastic waste into high-quality feedstock. A larger plant in Sicily is planned, supported by EU and Italian innovation recognitions.
Versalis, the chemical subsidiary of Eni, has officially launched a new demonstration plant at its Mantua facility, showcasing its proprietary Hoop® technology. This innovation represents a major step forward in chemical recycling and is designed to complement mechanical recycling processes. Hoop® enables the transformation of mixed plastic waste into valuable raw materials that can be used to manufacture new plastic products, including those suitable for sensitive uses such as food and pharmaceutical packaging.
Developed in collaboration with the Italian engineering company Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo (S.R.S.), Hoop® stands out for its high recovery efficiency and adaptability to different types of plastic waste. The technology integrates a high-performance pyrolysis reactor with Versalis’s advanced polymer analysis capabilities and process optimization, the latter enhanced by Artificial Intelligence tools. This fusion of technology ensures that the recycling process is both flexible and highly efficient.
The construction of the demo plant, spanning roughly 5,000 square meters at the Mantua site, began in late October 2023. Over 25 specialized contractors contributed to the project, with an average of 70 workers active each day. Recently, the plant completed its initial production trials successfully. It is designed to process 6,000 tonnes of secondary raw material annually, providing a platform to validate Hoop®'s application at industrial scale.
The Hoop® demonstration facility is part of Versalis’s broader circular economy strategy and transformation plan, which emphasizes sustainability through innovation. As part of this strategy, Versalis, in collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), plans to build a larger 40,000-tonne plant at its Priolo site in Sicily. The feasibility study for this project is complete, and the design phase is now progressing toward the permitting stage.
Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis, emphasized the importance of this milestone: “With the launch of the Hoop® plant, we are further advancing our commitment to circularity, one of the key pillars of our transformation journey. This initiative reflects our aim to innovate and build a more sustainable industrial future through biochemistry, specialization, and circular technologies.”
The Mantua-based SC-HOOP project is the only large-scale Italian initiative to secure funding from the 2023 EU Innovation Fund, which supports breakthrough low-carbon technologies. Among 239 applications, only 41 projects were selected. Additionally, Hoop® has been recognized by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy and will be featured in the exhibition L’Italia dei Brevetti in Rome and the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, highlighting it as one of Italy’s most promising technological achievements.
