Environmental company Ragn-Sells and environmental technology company Vilokan have formed a joint venture to meet market demand for sustainable solvent disposal solutions. The cooperation includes the construction of a treatment plant at Högbytorp outside Stockholm with the capacity to treat 20,000 tonnes of solvents per year.
If we are serious about creating a sustainable society, we need to use the raw materials that we already have, over and over again. Increasing the recycling and reuse of solvents, rather than letting them go to incineration, is a great example of that,” says Mikael Hedström, CEO of Ragn-Sells Treatment & Detox.
Today, solvents are mainly produced from fossil, finite resources, and used solvents are almost exclusivelyrecycled for energy through incineration. Instead, recycling and reusing the solvents we already have creates a CO2 saving of between 46-92% depending on the type of solvent (according to European Solvent Recycler Group, ESRG 2018). The plant will primarily focus on the purification and recycling of ethanol, acetone and glycol.
Together with Ragn-Sells, Vilokan has long-standing knowledge and experience needed to create a long-term and sustainable solution based on proven technology,” says Lars Rosell, Vice President, Vilokan Group.
Planning and design for a full-scale treatment plant is in full swing at Ragn-Sells in Högbytorp outside Stockholm. It is expected to be completed in 2023 and will be powered by steam from E.ON’s combined heat and power plant.
With our partners, we create new value chains where we take advantage of each other’s waste, creating a truly sustainable solution. With the new plant, we will be able to offer the market recycled solvents with a purity level of over 99 percent,” says Mikael Hedström.