Mura Technology, the developer of hydrothermal upgrading, an advanced recycling process, has formed a partnership with Dow Chemicals, one of the largest global manufacturers of plastic.

The collaboration will support the rapid scaling up of Mura’s new HydroPRS process to prevent millions of tonnes of plastic and carbon from entering the natural environment every year and create the ingredients for a sustainable, circular plastics economy.

Dow will also become a customer of recycled materials from the world-first plant in Teesside supplying major brands across the globe with sustainable plastic products.

The deal marks an important step in Dow’s commitment to advance a circular economy for plastics and take action to significantly reduce plastic waste in the environment.

In a move which will transform the global plastics economy, Dow will bring its financial strength and materials science expertise to work in partnership with Mura to produce the 100%-recycled plastic feedstock that global brands require in order to eliminate plastic waste from their supply chains and address the plastic pollution crisis.

Mura’s proprietary solution, HydroPRS (Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution), is a revolutionary advanced recycling process that uses supercritical steam to convert plastics back into the oils and chemicals from which they were made, for use in new, virgin-equivalent plastic products.

The process can recycle all forms of plastic – including multi-layer, flexible plastics used in packaging, which are considered ‘unrecyclable’ and are usually incinerated or sent to landfill.

Importantly, the recycled products may be suitable for use in food-contact packaging, unlike conventional recycling processes.

There is no limit to the number of times the same material can be recycled with Mura’s process, meaning it has the potential to eliminate single-use plastic and make the raw ingredients for a circular plastics economy, creating value not waste.

In addition, advanced recycling processes are expected to save approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO² per tonne of plastic recycled, compared to incineration.



Dow will play an important role as a global manufacturer of plastic, proving that Mura’s solution can meet the needs of the industry and that the products made via HydroPRS can be employed at scale to make new plastics.

The world’s first plant using HydroPRS is currently under construction on Teesside, with the first 20,000-tonne per year line expected to be operational in 2022. Once all four lines are complete, it will be able to recycle 80,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, providing Dow with chemicals and oils produced by the process.

Dow will use these to develop new, virgin-grade plastic to be re-circulated into global supply chains, creating a true circular plastics economy. Dow and Mura are looking to co-operate on offtake at a number of additional European projects, currently in Mura’s development pipeline.

Carsten Larsen, Dow commercial director plastic circularity (EMEA and APAC), said: “We are delighted to offer our investment and expertise to support the development of this truly game changing recycling process.

“We are committed to enacting real change to stop plastic going to waste and accelerate moves towards a more circular economy. We know achieving this goal will take major innovation and investment and we can’t do it alone. That is why our partnership with Mura is so exciting and why we believe it will form a key pillar of our recycling strategy going forward.”

CEO of Mura Technology Dr Steve Mahon said: “Plastic pollution is a global crisis and our goal is to meet the challenge head on by eliminating millions of tonnes of plastic waste every year and turning it into a valuable resource for the world’s biggest brands.

We are changing the way the world thinks about plastics – not as something to throw away, but as a product that can be used over and over again, and sustainably, without damaging our natural environment.

“Our partnership with Dow will cement that way of thinking for global brands and deliver a circular plastics economy globally within the next decade.”

Mura has designed its business model for rapid global deployment and is building a global network of partners. Dow joins other major global players such as KBR Inc, the US multi-national engineering services company, Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, and Igus GmbH, a global leader in industrial plastics, as partners to accelerate the deployment of Mura’s technology worldwide.

Mura’s HydroPRS process utilises at its core the Cat-HTR technology, which was developed by Licella Holdings Ltd in Australia.

Alongside its first plant in the UK, Mura has identified development opportunities in Germany, the USA – where it will develop new recycling plants in each country within the next five years – and Asian markets, as part of a rapid global roll-out that will see one million tonnes of recycling capacity in development worldwide by 2025.

The partnership with Dow will be a key driver of this goal. Mura is continuing to raise funds to drive further expansion and is in discussions with a range of global investors.