Following the announcement in September that Turkey-based Biotrend Energy had selected Honeywell’s technology for its projected new chemical recycling facility, the company has now signed the equipment supply, production license, and warranty agreements with Honeywell needed to build the plant. Using Honeywell’s UOP UpCycle Process Technology, mixed plastic waste will be transformed into recycled polymer raw material. When completed, it will become the first commercialised waste plastics recycling facility in Turkey, and one of the first in the world using Honeywell’s UpCycle Process Technology.
The chemical recycling plant will be built in the Izmir region of Turkey. It will be able to annually convert 60,000 tonnes of mixed plastic waste into Honeywell’s Recycled Polymer Feedstock, or RPF as it is known. Instead of the initially announced singular unit, the facility will now comprise two modular units, each with a processing capacity of 30,000 tonnes, both of which are expected to start up in 2025. Biotrend Energy will provide the feedstock for the plant and Honeywell UOP will provide related engineering and technical services, including startup, commissioning, and technical support services during the plant’s lifetime.
Biotrend Energy is an important player in the waste management sector in Turkey . The company has already invested significantly into measures designed to promote a more sustainable circular economy. The new chemical recycling plant will significantly increase the range and volume of materials Biotrend is able to recycle. The company is currently only able to recover a low percentage of via mechanical recycling. Any plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled are either converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) or stored in landfills.
“The advanced recycling facility we plan to establish in Türkiye will be one of the first in Türkiye and in the world, the facility will be able to recycle original raw plastic material and enable a true circular economy,” said Salih Tuncer Mutlucan, Member of the Board of Directors of Biotrend Çevre ve Enerji Yatırımları A.Ş.
Honeywell UOP’s UpCycle Process Technology utilises molecular conversion, pyrolysis, and contaminants management technology to convert waste plastic to RPF, which is then used to create new plastics. The company is currently also partnering on other projects in the U.S., Spain, and China.
“Honeywell has the proven technology to help shape the energy transition and our collaboration with Biotrend will dramatically increase the amount of plastic that can be recycled in Türkiye,” said Uygar Doyuran, Honeywell’s President of Türkiye, Israel, and Central Asia. “Honeywell’s participation as an investor in this project with Biotrend demonstrates how much we trust our technology.”