Multi-Discipline Engineering for Revolutionary Demonstration Plant

PROJECT

PureCycle Feedstock Evaluation Unit (FEU)

LOCATION

Irontown, Ohio

Background

ENTRUST Solutions Group, as part of the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) team led by Denham-Blythe Company (Lexington, Kentucky), provided multi-discipline engineering, permitting, and process safety management services to PureCycle Technologies, Inc. (Chicago, Illinois) for their revolutionary Feedstock Evaluation Unit (FEU). The FEU utilizes a groundbreaking, patented process developed by Proctor & Gamble which purifies polypropylene resin, a material which makes up a large percentage of recycled plastics, so it can be used in food-grade applications.

Challenges

Because the project involved brand new technologies that had never been applied outside of a laboratory, it presented a number of unique challenges. Utility requirements and building configurations changed often, as process models were updated based on the latest laboratory data. The structural components, piping, and utility connections were designed to facilitate field installation of the modular process units after the building was erected. The nearly 45’ tall pre-engineering steel building also houses an on-site laboratory for product testing and a control room to monitor operations. The team demonstrated flexibility and skill in addressing these challenges throughout the project.

Solutions

The Denham-Blythe/ENTRUST Solutions Group team was responsible for the design-build construction of all site, civil, architectural, and utility system components except for the process modules, which were designed and fabricated by Koch Modular Process Systems of Paramus, New Jersey. Working with subcontractors, the teams provided civil engineering, mechanical engineering, process engineering, electrical engineering, geotechnical engineering, permitting, environmental services, architectural, and process safety management services for the project. Despite working with untried technologies that were being applied outside of a laboratory for the first time, the team successfully managed design and site challenges with flexibility and expertise. ENTRUST Solutions Group will continue to work with the client on a commercial-sized polypropylene resin purification facility on the same site which will process 100,000,000 lbs. per year of recycled polypropylene.

Project