)
Texas-based science, technology and engineering group KBR is backing Australian enviro tech Samsara Eco to design a first-of-a-kind plastics and textile enzymatic recycling plant in South-East Asia, which is expected to be up and running in early 2028.
The facility, which will employ Samsara Eco’s patented enzymes to break down plastic and deliver an "infinite recycling" option for even hard to process plastics, will particularly tackle nylon 6,6.
As one of the most widely used fibres in the performance apparel and fashion industries, nylon 6,6 is notoriously difficult to recycle and even more so when blended with materials such as spandex.
The Sydney-headquartered Samsara Eco says its breakthrough technology could be critical in achieving the goal of creating a circular loop for all plastics recycling, helping companies utilise resources and divert waste otherwise destined for landfills.
Under the terms of the agreement with the KBR, the New York Stock Exchange-listed company will undertake preliminary front-end engineering design (FEED) of the project by the end of the current quarter.
Samsara says that KBR’s technical and commercial experts will then deliver a FEED engineering package for the process design to build a commercial recycling facility that can process 20,000 metric tons per year for nylon 6,6.
“KBR is uniquely equipped to deliver world-class solutions that help our customers bring sustainable technology to market, and we are thrilled to support Samsara Eco on this unique opportunity,” says Jay Ibrahim, president of KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions.
“With this award, KBR continues to solidify our commitment to sustainability and technological innovation.”
Related story: Enzyme engineering helps infinite recycler Samsara Eco break down plastic waste to ‘building blocks’
Samsara Eco is already working with leading brands such as lululemon to swap virgin materials for recycled materials.
Last year, the company debuted the world’s first enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 product and it also launched the first product made from enzymatically recycled polyester, creating lululemon’s limited-edition Packable Anorak jacket.
“We are charging full speed ahead to deliver our first-of-a-kind plant to fuel a circular economy and support our brand partners’ ambition to create more circular products from low-carbon recycled materials,” says Paul Riley, the founder and CEO of Samsara Eco.
“KBR brings unmatched engineering expertise. This will ensure we can design and build our facility with speed and precision.
“We’re proud to have KBR in our corner, helping bring our technology to industrial scale.”
The agreement with KBR comes on the heels of Samsara Eco expanding its global leadership team with the appointment of material science and engineering veterans Brock Thomas as chief innovation officer and Isaac Iverson as executive director of product.
Thomas and Iverson bring decades of experience working within the polymer space in the US and will lead the scaling of the company’s enzymatic recycling technology and first-of-a-kind facilities.
Samsara Eco is gearing up for a new plant to open later this year at Queanbeyan mid-year which will become the home base for the company as it scales up production and builds on its suite of AI-crafted enzymes.
The nylon 6,6 enzymatic recycling plant is a separate project earmarked for an undisclosed site in South-East Asia.
In June last year, Samsara Eco raised US$65 million ($100 million) via a Series A+ funding round which was to be applied to towards building new commercial facilities in the next few years.
The round, led by Temasek and Main Sequence, followed a $54 million Series A in 2022.
Since launching in 2021, the Samsara Eco has delivered world-first innovations in infinite recycling, pioneering the ability to recycle plastics such as nylon 6,6 and polyester.
The company last year teamed up with the Israel-headquartered NILIT, one of the world’s largest producers of nylon 6,6 for apparel, to build the South-East Asian pilot facility capable of recycling textile waste, which it says will produce high-quality recycled nylon 6,6 polymers for textile brands and manufacturers to seamlessly use in their existing supply chains to create new textile fabrics - infinitely.
)
