On 17th September 2025, the second consortium meeting of the E-Pla2Meth project “Plastic Waste Conversion to Methanol through Water Vapor Plasma Gasification and Advanced Catalytic Synthesis” was held in Kjeller, Norway. The meeting was hosted by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), a project partner.
Plastic waste remains a major environmental concern in the Nordic and Baltic states, with an estimated 70% of marine litter in the Baltic Sea consisting of plastic. In response, various efforts have been initiated to collect and recover plastic waste, which is often directed to waste-to-energy processes such as incineration. However, the growing volumes of plastic incinerated also result in increased CO₂ emissions. Aligned with the EU Green Deal and Nordic Vision 2030 objectives, the E-Pla2Meth project aims to demonstrate an innovative and sustainable solution. The project focuses on the integration of two intensified processes: water vapor plasma-assisted gasification and sorption-enhanced methanol synthesis (Plasma-Gasification-SEM). This approach seeks to convert plastic waste into valuable methanol, contributing to circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact.
During the one-day meeting, representatives from LEI (Project Owner) and Feenix Resource Recovery AS (Geo4) (Project Observer) joined their hosts at IFE to present updates on project progress. Detailed discussions were held on the ongoing activities within the project’s Work Packages, with particular attention to deliverables, milestones, and strategies for result dissemination.
A guest speaker from Carbon Recycling International delivered an insightful presentation titled “CO₂ Utilization to Green Methanol”, highlighting the growing demand for methanol production and trends in the expansion of the methanol industry.
Following the presentations, the consortium turned its attention to future planning, including participation in international conferences, and preparations for the final project meeting and workshop to be held in Lithuania.
The meeting concluded with a guided laboratory tour hosted by IFE, providing participants with a detailed overview of experimental setups and research activities, marking a productive and inspiring end to the session.
The project “Plastic waste conversion to methanol through water vapor plasma gasification and advanced catalytic synthesis (No. 189738)” is funded by Nordic Energy Research and the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania under the Joint Baltic–Nordic Energy Research Programme.
More information at: https://www.lei.lt/en/projektas/e-pla2meth/
Project coordinator: Dr. Rolandas Paulauskas, Chief Research Associate, e-mail: Rolandas.Paulauskas@lei.lt Tel: +370 37 401830.