Aduro and Cleanfarms develop pathway for chemical recycling of challenging plastics

Cleanfarms is a Canadian producer responsibility organisation (PRO) focused on agricultural waste management. The MoU outlines a multi-phase collaboration to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using Aduro’s Hydrochemolytic™ Technology (HCT) as a potential commercial scale solution for the chemical recycling of on-farm plastic waste that is currently difficult to manage through conventional methods.

Agricultural plastics such as silage film, bale wrap, grain bags, netting, and twine are essential in modern farming operations but can present recycling challenges due to high levels of contamination and limited viable end-of-life options. In Canada, the agricultural sector generates an estimated 62 000 tpy of plastic, much of which is landfilled, burned, or stockpiled. Globally, agricultural value chains used approximately 12.5 million t of plastic products in plant and animal production in 2019, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Cleanfarms operates within extended producer responsibility frameworks in several provinces and works with more than 200 member companies and a network of over 2000 collection sites to ensure these materials are responsibly managed. In 2023 Cleanfarms achieved an 87% recovery rate for pesticide and fertilizer containers under 23 l, reflecting the effectiveness of its programmes and the commitment of Canadian farmers to environmental practices. These capabilities make Cleanfarms a critical partner in enabling real-world evaluation of Aduro’s Hydrochemolytic™ Technology, which has demonstrated strong performance on contaminated and mixed-polymer feedstocks. The MoU and respective collaboration aim to assess the potential of HCT to convert difficult-to-recycle agricultural plastics into usable hydrocarbon products, supporting improved diversion, resource recovery, and circularity in the farming sector.

“Our goal is to develop a commercial pathway for difficult-to-recycle agriculture waste, waste streams that are strong candidates for Aduro’s HCT and are currently overlooked by conventional technologies,” said Ofer Vicus, CEO at Aduro. “Cleanfarms brings deep knowledge of the agricultural waste landscape and a national supply chain that can support our evaluation of HCT on real-world farm plastic materials. Together, we’re building the foundation for a solution to reduce landfilling and open new value streams.”

The collaboration will progress through three stage-gated phases designed to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using the Hydrochemolytic™ Technology to process post-consumer agricultural plastics. Phases A and B are binding, while Phase C is non-binding and contingent on the successful outcomes of the earlier phases.

Phase A: laboratory feasibility trials – Aduro will conduct laboratory scale testing on representative agricultural plastic waste samples provided by Cleanfarms. These samples are expected to include mixed silage film, bale wrap, grain bags, bale netting, and polypropylene twine in their collected, unprocessed form to reflect real-world levels of contamination from soil, organic matter, and moisture. Aduro will assess sorting and pre-treatment requirements and conduct batch Hydrochemolytic™ processing trials to determine contaminant tolerance, conversion efficiency, and product composition. The results will help define pre-processing requirements and feedstock suitability for scale-up.

Phase B: scale-up and process modelling – Cleanfarms will supply larger volumes of field-grade agricultural plastics for processing in Aduro’s Next Generation Pilot plant. Aduro will evaluate system performance under continuous flow, investigate pre-processing needs, and assess operational stability. This phase will also include the development of a preliminary techno-economic and eco-efficiency model, incorporating key processing parameters, product yields, environmental impact, and potential market value of outputs.

Phase C: demonstration of plant integration – contingent on the successful completion of Phases A and B, agricultural plastics may be evaluated as a potential feedstock for inclusion in Aduro’s planned Demonstration Plant. While the project is in early-stage development, securing representative, scalable feedstock streams is a critical component. This phase would support validation of continuous operation with agricultural plastics and further refine the techno-economic model, leveraging Cleanfarms’ experience in logistics and national collection programs to inform broader commercial deployment strategies.

“This collaboration reflects our ongoing commitment to advance solutions for all agricultural plastics,” said Barry Friesen, Executive Director at Cleanfarms. “Our members seek scalable technologies to recover materials that currently have limited or no recycling options. Evaluating chemical recycling is a vital step in building a more complete circular economy for Canadian agriculture. We’re encouraged by Aduro’s progress to date and eager to learn more about its potential applicability for agriculture.”

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/09052025/aduro-and-cleanfarms-develop-pathway-for-chemical-recycling-of-challenging-plastics/