Chester, N.S.-based Sustane Technologies has announced major project milestones at its advanced recycling facility and welcomed Marc Donaldson as its new project director.

The company converts difficult-to-recycle plastics into valuable resources and is making progress toward expanded plastics recycling capacity and operational scale.

In a news release, the company said a milestone was reached in late 2025 with the delivery of the Quebec-based Pyrovac’s Pyrolysis Reactor (PR) to Sustane’s facility. The Pyrovac PR Line 1 system forms the backbone of Sustane’s advanced plastics recycling process, the company said.

The venture is also boosting its on-site capacity, including higher plastic intake, improved material handling, and safer storage. The upgrades will lead to a more than doubling of the capacity of the plant up to 14 tonnes per day of end-of-life waste plastics.

Sustane transforms unsorted waste into high-value products such as engineered plastics, renewable synthetic fuels, and recyclable materials. By diverting up to 90 per cent of waste from landfills, the company said it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution. Pyrovac specializes in the development of advanced pyrolysis systems (the thermochemical decomposition of organic material without oxygen).. 

“Pyrovac’s deep scientific credibility and process engineering excellence make them the ideal long-term collaborator as together we expand our footprint nationally and ultimately globally.” said Peter Vinall, CEO of Sustane, in an earlier interview.

In July 2024, Sustane received a $950,000 funding package from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and used it to develop a system for converting plastic waste into naphtha — one of the constituents of gasoline and jet fuel. 

Sustane first began with technology developed by CTO Javier De La Fuente. He headed up the initial research in Spain to process landfill waste into biomass pellets with the help of steam. Then, in 2014, he launched the company in Nova Scotia with  Vinall and CFO Robert Richardson.

Sustane opened its manufacturing plant in 2019. Other than the naphtha fuel, the company also manufactures biomass pellets, synthetic diesel and an organic fertilizer for which it has received Canadian Food Inspection Agency approval. In 2024, it shipped its first naphtha to Europe.

Supporting the company’s growth, new project director Marc Donaldson  is the founder of Martech Energy and has led projects for organizations including Emera, Brookfield Infrastructure, Enbridge, Encana, and BP Canada.

“Marc’s experience in de-risking projects across the full lifecycle and aligning execution with strategic objectives strengthens our ability to deliver safely, predictably, and at scale,” said Peter Vinall, company CEO. “His leadership comes at a pivotal time as we move from construction into start-up.”