The sorting plant, which will be developed by Interzero in southern Germany, will produce feedstock on a large industrial scale for OMV’s chemical recycling and will have the capacity to process up to 260,000 tonnes of mixed waste plastics annually
OMV and Interzero join forces to build sorting facility for chemical recycling in Germany. (Credit: Interzero)
Austrian energy company OMV and circular economy solutions provider Interzero have established a joint venture (JV) to construct and operate a sorting facility for chemical recycling in Walldürn, Germany.
The plant, which will be developed by Interzero, will produce feedstock on a large industrial scale for OMV’s chemical recycling. Its input will primarily consist of mixed plastics that were previously non-recyclable, particularly those gathered separately from Germany’s yellow bag and yellow bin recycling system.
A final investment decision (FID) has been taken by OMV for the sorting facility to be built in southern Germany.
OMV will contribute over €170m on its part and will have an ownership of 89.9% in the JV. The remaining 10.1% stake in the JV will be held by Interzero, which is a Germany-based service provider for closing loops in products, materials, and logistics.
The Walldürn sorting facility will have the capacity to process up to 260,000 tonnes of mixed waste plastics annually for supplying the necessary raw materials for manufacturing virgin polyolefins.
OMV CEO Alfred Stern said: “This joint project with Interzero will provide feedstock for our ReOil technology, which in turn will transform it into high-quality sustainable raw materials for plastics production. In this way, we are making a significant contribution to the creation of a circular economy for plastics.”
The sorting process used by the Walldürn plant will enable the recovery of a polyolefin-rich fraction from a waste stream that is presently directed toward thermal recycling. The primary focus, in the context of the waste hierarchy, is on those waste plastics that are unsuitable for mechanical recycling.
According to the parties, production at the new plant is anticipated to begin in 2026, with approximately 120 new job opportunities set to be generated at the site. The groundbreaking ceremony for the sorting facility is slated for 20 November 2023.
Interzero chairman and owner Axel Schweitzer said: “Our unique, fully automated sorting plant, which does not require any manual sorting, is an important step towards giving a second life to raw materials that were previously sent for incineration.
“Closing loops requires strong partners. Together we want to think long-term and take our pioneering Interzero expertise in the licensing of packaging, and in sorting in particular and combine it with OMV’s leading expertise in chemical recycling to close this raw material loop as well.”