Source One Plastics, a joint venture between LyondellBasell and 23 Oaks Investments created in October 2022, has started operations at its plastic waste sorting and recycling facility in Eicklingen, Germany.
The new plant processes difficult to recycle post-consumer plastic waste such as mixed plastic packaging and flexible polyolefins materials as feedstock for LyondellBasell’s planned chemical recycling plant at its Wesseling site in Germany. Source One Plastics expects to process 70,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year.
The site will use an innovative dry processing method to reduce energy consumption by up to 30% compared to conventional plastic recycling technologies, LyondellBasell said in a statement. The system is designed to minimise the occurrence of fine plastic dust and its release into the environment. The plant will also be powered by locally generated renewable energy.
“This state-of-the-art advanced sorting facility will turn post-consumer mixed plastic waste into feedstock for our integrated hub in Cologne area,” said Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell Executive Vice President, Circular and Low Carbon Solutions. “There, we will use cutting-edge technologies to close the loop of plastic materials and create sustainable solutions for society.”
LyondellBasell has made the final investment decision to build its first industrial-scale chemical recycling plant in November 2023. The facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes and commissioning is planned for the end of 2025.
LyondellBasell says the new plant will be the first commercial scale, single-train advanced recycling plant to convert post-consumer plastic waste into feedstock for production of new plastic materials that can be ran at net zero greenhouse gas emissions. It will use the company’s proprietary MoReTec technology which lowers the process temperature and reduces energy. With lower energy consumption, the process can be powered by electricity, including electricity from renewable sources.