NEXTEK, a London-based consulting firm specializing in the recycling and waste management sector, and the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry received USD 3 million in funding for their collaborative project COtooCLEAN after winning the Alliance Prize in Circular Solutions for Flexibles. This followed the final pitch at the New York Stock Exchange.

The funding will be used to accelerate the COtooCLEAN process, where contaminated polyolefins are decontaminated through a waterless procedure involving a non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-corrosive solvent combined with low-pressure, super-critical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The company claims this process avoids the production of aqueous waste by isolating dissolved contaminants and freeing the CO2, which will be reused as a solvent.

The funds will also help the company improve the recycled polyolefins to a food-grade quality through film-to-film advanced mechanical recycling.

Founded in 2004, NEXTEK offers strategic consulting, engineering, and project delivery in the packaging, polymer recycling, and waste management industry sectors. The company’s services include sustainable business solutions, recycling technology expertise, strategic advice on waste streams, and innovations in biopolymers and packaging. The project also received GBP 753,809 (~USD 926,751) in grant funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in March 2022 .