February 6, 2026 15:59

The chemical recycling technology for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), jointly developed by Lummus Technology and Sumitomo Chemical under an agreement signed two years ago, is now available for commercial licensing.

Validated at Sumitomo Chemical’s pilot plant in Japan, the PMMA-CR depolymerisation process converts production scraps and waste back into the base monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA).
The recovered MMA can be reused to produce new polymer with quality equivalent to fossil-based material, while delivering a reduced carbon footprint.

The technology was initially developed by Japan Steel Works (JSW) and Sumitomo Chemical. The continuous process is based on a proprietary self-cleaning twin-screw extruder developed by JSW, combined with a heating system designed to ensure uniform temperature control and high energy efficiency.

According to the two partners, the solution is readily scalable. Capacity can be increased by duplicating individual lines, and the technology is offered as modular ISBL packages.

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