Akron Global Business Accelerator (AGBA) tenant PolyFlow was profiled in the Plain Dealer recently.  What does PolyFlow do?  Nothing big - just transform scrap plastic, any scrap plastic, back into raw materials.

I know what you’re thinking: “Yea, yea heard it all before.”  Actually, so have we.  You’re not in the incubator business very long before you realize perpetual motion machines and tires to oil ideas walk through your door fairly frequently.

But Joe Hensel and the rest of the guys in PolyFlow may just have something this time.

As the Plain Dealer article profiles, PolyFlow has what is called a demonstration plant up and running down in Akron.  A demonstration plant is a scaled-down version of the eventual full production plant.  The demo plant is being used to validate the technology and demonstrate the process to venture capitalists and plastics industry reps.

Guess what - it works!

In a process called pyrolysis, shredded plastic is vaporized, condensed and ultimately distilled back into it’s chemical raw components.  That’s world-changer #1 - no longer do I need to buy a new barrel of oil for my raw materials, I can now get them from PolyFlow.

World-Changer #2 is that PolyFlow’s process works with any plastic.  Did you ever notice those numbers on the bottom of plastic containers and how your city only wants you to recycle 1’s and 2’s (at least in my city that’s how it works).  That’s because the higher the number, the harder they are to re-process.  PolyFlow’s technology removes that barrier and allows any plastic to be processed.

PolyFlow is still validating their technology, but if the VCs and plastics executives visiting a grassy park lot down in Akron are any indication, we’re looking at another big win for the region.

For more details about Joe, his team, and PolyFlow, please read the entire PD article.