OMV has started operations at its expanded ReOil pyrolysis plant in Schwechat, Austria, with a yearly processing capacity of up to 16,000 tonnes of plastic waste.
The Austria-based petrochemical giant decided to build the expanded ReOil demonstration plant in 2021. Operational start was originally planned for 2023.
OMV has been operating a smaller plant at its Schwechat refinery since 2018. Between 2018 and November 2024, OMV has achieved over 30,000 cracking hours at the Schwechat pilot plant, processing over 2.1 million kilograms of plastic waste.
The Austrian petrochemical was one of the first companies to develop a chemical recycling technology for used plastics in 2009. Its patented ReOil process operates under moderate pressure and temperatures of 400 C to 450 C.
The successful operations of the pilot plant prompted the decision to construct a larger, scaled-up facility, OMV said in a statement.
“The start-up of the new ReOil plant marks a significant milestone on our path towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest,” said Alfred Stern, CEO of OMV. “Complementing mechanical recycling, ReOil processes plastic waste that would otherwise remain unrecyclable, reintegrating it into the value chain. Through our Strategy 2030, we are advancing circularity as a cornerstone of our responsible transformation.”
The start-up comes as OMV secured up to €81.6 million in funding from the EU Innovation Fund for its planned industrial-scale ReOil plant at the same location.
It is the first time the Austria-based petrochemical giant receives a grant from the EU Innovation Fund. The support for the pyrolysis project is also the largest public funding OMV has ever received for a stand-alone project.
The industrial-scale ReOil facility is expected to process up to 200,000 tonnes of used plastics that would otherwise be taken to landfill sites or incineration plants. OMV has not yet made a final investment decision in the industrial-scale plant, which it has been planning for years.