US Epsilyte to expand EPS plant in Illinois

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Epsilyte is debottlenecking an expandable polystyrene (EPS) plant in Illinois and has commissioned an engineering study to further increase the plant’s capacity, the US-based producer said on Friday.

The debottlenecking project will take place at the company’s plant in Peru, Illinois, Epsilyte said. It will increase EPS capacity by 25m lb/year (11,340 tonnes/year) by the end of 2023.

Epsilyte also commissioned an engineering study to expand the plant by another 220m lb/year by 2025, the company said.

The company is also expanding its capabilities to recycle post-consumer waste at its plant in Piqua, Ohio, it said. The project will increase the plant’s ability to use post-consumer polystyrene (PS) as a feedstock.

Epsilyte had acquired the Piqua plant as part of its acquisition of Polysource, which makes compounded EPS used in safety helmets, insulation and filtration media.

Epsilyte is owned by the private-equity firm Balmoral Partners. It created Epsilyte after it bought Flint Hills Resource’s EPS business in Peru, Illinois.

Thumbnail shows insulation made out of EPS. Image by WestEnd61/REX/Shutterstock