Eni, Maire Tecnimont to transform non-recyclable waste into hydrogen and methanol

Eni and NextChem will assess the technical and financial impact of the new technology, which could be implemented at Eni's sites in Italy.

Eni and NextChem, Maire Tecnimont's green chemistry subsidiary, are working together to turn waste into new energy, hydrogen and methanol.

The two companies have signed a partnership agreement to develop and implement a conversion technology, which uses high-temperature gasification to produce hydrogen and methanol from solid urban waste and non-recyclable plastic with minimal environmental impact.

Eni has already expressed interest in evaluating the "Waste to Hydrogen" project at its bio-refinery in Porto Marghera, Venice, and carried out a feasibility study in collaboration with NextChem.

The agreement will position Eni as co-developer of NextChem's technology. It will also provide a tangible example of the circular economy: It reuses hundreds of thousands of tonnes of non-recyclable waste to produce chemical products and fuel. “This partnership will see Eni acquire highly innovative technology. When this technology is combined with the rich technological assets that Eni has accumulated over decades of refining, it will help to establish a tangible circular economic process whereby fuel is produced from waste with low environmental impact," said Giuseppe Ricci, Eni's Chief Refining & Marketing Officer.

“This technological partnership with Eni, a leader in the sector, is an exceptionally important step for our green acceleration project. Energy transition requires the industrialisation of new transformation processes, and with NextChem we are ready to respond to the growing demand for change," stated Maire Tecnimont Group's CEO, Pierroberto Folgiero.