Aeternal Upcycling develops lubricant ingredients from hard-to-recycle plastic
Aeternal Upcycling is developing a way to turn hard-to-recycle plastic waste into synthetic base oils, the ingredients used to make industrial lubricants. Rather than making another plastic product, the company is pursuing an ingredient that lubricant makers could use in formulations for manufacturers.
From waste stream to ingredient
The process is designed for end-of-life plastics that do not qualify for mechanical recycling, according to Aeternal. Its proposed route starts with collected and sorted plastic, including polyethylene and polypropylene, then uses heat and a catalyst to convert it into base oil. The company says it aims to use locally sourced waste.
A base oil is an ingredient rather than a finished lubricant, so the opportunity depends on making material suitable for use in customers’ formulations. If the company can make a consistent ingredient at an acceptable cost, discarded plastic could become a source of material for lubricant manufacturers.
Aeternal presents lower-cost production as part of its proposition, but the reviewed evidence does not independently establish that cost advantage.
From laboratory work toward a pilot
The technology grew out of research at Argonne National Laboratory, where Robert Kennedy and Ryan Hackler worked as postdoctoral researchers. Kennedy is Aeternal’s founder and CEO.