“To see this plan being built from the ground up is very satisfying,” stated Eliot Sorella, Ecolomondo Corp. chairman and chief executive officer. “It is incredible to witness the progress on a daily basis.”
Ecolomondo is a Québec-based company that specializes in recycling materials using thermal decomposition (TDP). The Hawkesbury facility is the company’s first TDP plant operation outside of its home province.
Construction of the Hawkesbury plant began last year and the company expects to begin commissioning sales soon for its recyclable products once all the processing machinery is installed and supplies of recyclable materials brought in.
The main building and on-site support slabs and pavilions for operations are almost complete. Delivery of processing equipment is in progress. Installation of the carbon black line has begun.
When plant operations begin, the Hawkesbury facility will be recycling at least 14,000 tonnes of used tires and other rubber waste a year and produce about 5300 tonnes of recycled carbon black, along with about 42,700 barrels of oil distilled from the processed rubber, 1800 tonnes of recovered steel, and 850 tonnes of fibre. The recycling process will also create 1600 tonnes of processed natural gas that will serve as fuel for the facility’s own heating system.
Development costs for the Hawkesbury plant are now estimated at $37.6 million for the company. Ecolomondo has invested $5.5 million of its own funds into the project, with the rest of the cost covered through a federal Economic Development Corporation loan (EDC).
A company statement noted that the pandemic has forced Ecolomondo to adjust its project development plan and schedule to allow for public health safety protocols. This may also affect the original timeline for completion though the goal is still to have the plant begin operations in 2021.
Recycling used tires is the focus of the first phase of Ecolomondo’s Hawkesbury project. The second phase will see further expansion of the facility to deal with recycling used plastic.
