Carbios successfully concludes CE-PET project supported by the French State

Carbios has validated the final key stage of the CE-PET research project supported by the French State as part of the Investments for the Future Programme, now integrated into France 2030, and operated by ADEME, and for which Carbios was coordinator alongside its academic partner INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) via the TWB (Toulouse White Biotechnology, INRAE-INSA-CNRS joint research unit) and TBI (Toulouse Biotechnology Institute) joint research units. The CE-PET project, which lasted four years, confirmed the enzymatic PET recycling process at pilot stage in order to scale up to the industrial demonstrator – which has been operational since September 2021 – capable of processing plastic PET waste. The initial feasibility of the process, both environmentally and economically, has allowed to move further forward towards its industrialization.

The other major success of the CE-PET project was validating the technology on textile waste at pilot scale, a considerable feat, as textiles represent about 60% of the global PET market. To date, PET bottles represent the main raw material used to manufacture recycled polyester fiber. Being able to use Carbios’ technology on textile waste increases its application possibilities, especially in view of new European regulations on the separate collection of textile waste which will become mandatory from 1 January 2025. The inclusion of textile PET waste in the demonstrator will be carried out in 2023, notably within the framework of the “LIFE Cycle of PET” project co-funded by the European Commission.

“We are extremely pleased with the results of the CE-PET project. We have demonstrated our ability to enzymatically recycle complex waste to produce new bottles and fibers and have proven the robustness of our process,” said Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios. “The success of this project is a springboard for a sustainable future and an introduction of plastics and textiles into a true circular economy. Carbios’ teams are very proud and grateful for the French State’s support throughout its development, from the research phase to industrial deployment.”

The last key step of the CE-PET project was approved without reservation by ADEME.

As Carbios states, main technical achievements of the CE-PET project are:

• The development and optimization of an efficient enzyme for the depolymerization of plastic and textile PET waste
• The replicability of the process performances at pilot scale, and the definition of the different operational units for the transposition of the process at industrial demonstrator scale
• The characterization and specifications of PET feedstocks that can be treated by the process
• The production of bottles made of 100% r-PET from plastic and textile PET waste, suitable for food contact applications
• The production of a white fiber made of 100% r-PET from plastic and textile waste, even colored