Cyclyx celebrates anniversary of Cyclyx Circularity Lab

Cyclyx International, a consortium-based postuse plastic innovation company, has celebrated the first anniversary of its Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Cyclyx Circularity Lab (CCL). 

The Cyclyx Circularity Lab was designed to conduct on-site data and chemical characterization tests, including analytical testing methodology from collected end-of-life plastic samples. Cyclyx says its industry experience allows its custom compounding methods to be data-driven and focused on meeting unique customer specifications for various product pathways. This service unlocks the potential to divert more postuse plastic from landfill or incineration and reroute it to recycling pathways, the company says.  

"Our Portsmouth circularity lab continues to be a bellwether for the innovation and optimization happening at Cyclyx, benefiting our consortium members and brokerage clients alike," Cyclyx CEO Joe Vaillancourt says. "The chemistry-based insights and predictive modeling capabilities being developed and discovered at the lab unlock new recycling options for nearly all aggregated material, including postuse plastic that has previously been deemed unsuitable for recycling.  

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“Our work moves toward increasing the recyclability of plastic waste up to 90 percent, enabling it to reach its highest and best use,” he adds. 

Over the past year, Cyclyx says the CCL’s workforce doubled in size and included the appointment of scientists Anita Augustyniak as lab director and Marissa Hedlund as lab analyst. Staff analyzed hundreds of source samples that ranged in size, shape, material and color, Cyclyx says. These properties dictated how the team evaluated and modeled each sample to determine key characteristics, such as polymer type and content; elemental composition and possible contaminant concentrations; and physical properties, such as bulk density and moisture content. While the CCL follows a standard workflow, Cyclyx says the complexity and differences of the samples require a tailored approach for handling and analysis. The results from these samples are added to the expanding Cyclyx plastic database, the organization says. 

Cyclyx says the lab enabled it to expand its available service offerings, most recently adding Cyclyx Brokerage Services. This service line addresses plastic streams Cyclyx has sourced that are not appropriate for the initial Cyclyx Circularity Centers (CCCs) based on the needs of specific offtake partners.  

From February to May, Cyclyx says the CCL team analyzed hundreds of samples from the Kingwood, Texas, and the Houston Independent School District’s (HISD’s) 10to90 plastic collection programs. These efforts resulted in more than 10,000 data points, which were used in the design of the first CCC planned for Houston, the organization says.  

According to Cyclyx, additional CCLs will be built in the forthcoming CCCs, which the company says will adhere to the same standards as the Portsmouth location, ensuring feedstock specifications meet expectations.   

"It's been an exciting year for Cyclyx, from our expanded offerings and laboratory advances to the commission of additional equipment that will only amplify the already incredible work and studies happening at the lab," Vaillancourt says. "This successful year is certainly indicative of the exciting future ahead of us."