Dutch petrochemical producer LyondellBasell has started commercial production of virgin polymers such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) using raw material derived from plastic waste at its plant in Wesseling, Germany.
The move advances LyondellBasell's ambition to produce and market 2mn t/yr of recycled or renewable-based polymers by 2030. The raw material is produced through thermal conversion of plastic waste at the plant. It is then converted into ethylene and propylene feedstock, which is used to manufacture PP and PE downstream.
The polymers industry is increasingly investing in chemical recycling technologies with the aim of creating a circular chain for plastics production. Through chemical recycling, waste plastic streams are converted back to feedstock for conventional chemical plants. The plastics produced are indistinguishable from virgin polymers made from traditional oil- and gas-based feedstock.
The polymers manufactured at the German plant will be marketed under LyondellBasell's Circulen brand. The Circulen line of sustainable plastic solutions includes the production of new materials for healthcare and food packaging applications using molecular recycling technology.
LyondellBasell joins a growing list of petrochemical producers that have incorporated sustainable solutions into their product offerings. Canadian petrochemical producer Nova Chemicals recently launched three grades of 100pc post-consumer resins for flexible film applications.
