The commercial scale, single-train advanced recycling plant will convert post-consumer plastic waste into feedstock to create new plastic materials that can be operated with net zero greenhouse gas emissions
The headquarters of LyondellBasell in Houston, Texas, US. (Credit: Lydia Howell from Wikimedia Commons)
Chemical company LyondellBasell has made the final investment decision to construct its first industrial-scale catalytic advanced recycling demonstration plant at its site in Wesseling, Germany.
The facility will convert post-consumer plastic waste into feedstock to create new plastic materials that can be operated with net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
It is said to be the first such commercial-scale, single-train advanced recycling plant.
The new facility is intended to recycle the quantity of plastic packaging waste produced annually by more than 1.2 million German individuals and is anticipated to have a 50,000-ton annual capacity.
It is anticipated that construction will be finished by the end of 2025.
LyondellBasell CEO Peter Vanacker said: “We are committed to addressing the global challenge of plastic waste and advancing a circular economy, and today’s announcement is another meaningful step in that direction.
“Scaling up our catalytic advanced recycling technology will allow us to return larger volumes of plastic waste back into the value chain. By doing this, we will have the ability to produce more materials for high-quality applications, retaining the value of plastics for as long as possible.”
The LYB MoReTec demonstration plant will bridge the gap for plastics that are now disposed of in landfills or burned, such as mixed or flexible materials, which are hard to recycle.
Most of the sorted processed feedstock will come from Source One Plastics, a joint venture founded in October 2022 by LyondellBasell and 23 Oaks Investments.
The MoReTec facility’s recycled feedstock will be used to create polymers that the chemical firm will market under the CirculenRevive product line. These polymers will find use in a variety of applications, such as food and medical packaging.
Last month, LyondellBasell acquired a 50% stake in Rodepa Vastgoed, the holding company of De Paauw Sustainable Resources (DPSR).
DPSR is a Dutch plastic waste recycling firm with expertise in the sourcing, processing, and trading of post-consumer and post-industrial plastic packaging trash.