Chester, N.S.-based Sustane Technologies and Quebec-based Pyrovac have begun a long-term, strategic alliance that grants Sustane exclusive access to Pyrovac’s advanced reactor and related technology for waste plastic processing.

Sustane pioneers advanced plastics upcycling and resource recovery from municipal solid waste. Using a patented process, Sustane transforms unsorted waste, including difficult-to-recycle plastics, 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 says 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) that convert end-of-life biomass residues and waste plastics streams into high-value renewable fuels and chemicals.

The initial phase of the new agreement includes a contract valued at over $7 million for a two-reactor upgrade and expansion at Sustane’s Chester facility. 

“This inter-provincial partnership is significant on several levels. We’re combining cutting-edge, made-in-Canada technology with 30 years of world-class research and innovation to materially reduce waste plastic and create real economic value,” said Peter Vinall, CEO of Sustane Technologies. “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.”

The new agreement represents the first commercial deployment of Pyrovac’s technology within Sustane’s circular plastic process.

In July last year, 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, though the company plans to sell it for use in manufacturing new plastics.

Sustane itself 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 President Peter Vinall and CFO Robert Richardson.

Sustane opened its 40,000 square-foot Chester 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.