Developed in collaboration with Italian engineering firm S.R.S. (Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo), Hoop® integrates a high-performance pyrolysis reactor with Versalis’ expertise in polymer analysis and AI-driven process optimization. This ensures high material recovery rates and adaptability to various input materials.
Construction of the 5,000-square-meter Hoop® demonstration plant in Mantua began in late October 2023, involving over 25 specialized contractors and an average daily workforce of 70 people. The facility recently completed its initial production tests successfully. With a capacity to process 6,000 tonnes of secondary raw material annually, the plant aims to validate the technology for industrial-scale applications.
Versalis is also advancing plans for a larger 40,000-tonne facility at its Priolo site in Sicily, as outlined in a March 2025 Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). The feasibility study for this project is complete, and the design phase is underway, with permitting processes set to begin soon.
Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis, stated: “Today we are giving further substance and value to circularity, one of the pillars of Versalis’s transformation plan. The Hoop® plant we are opening today is a symbol of the path we are following – harnessing innovation to reshape our business through new industrial initiatives based on circularity, biochemistry, and specialisation, in pursuit of increased sustainability. We are committed to addressing all three of sustainability’s core dimensions: environmental, social, and economic.”
The SC-HOOP project in Mantua, the only Italian large-scale initiative selected from 239 proposals for the 2023 EU Innovation Fund, received funding for its innovative low-carbon technology. Additionally, the Hoop® patent will be featured in the “L’Italia dei Brevetti” exhibition in Rome from November 2024 to March 2025 and at the Italian Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, highlighting Italy’s advancements in sustainable innovation.
