Brightmark to build Georgia pyrolysis plant

Chemical recycler Brightmark plans to build a 400,00t/yr pyrolysis plant in Thomaston, Georgia, two years after the company terminated its plan to build a similar plant in a nearby Georgia community.

Pyrolysis is a form of chemical recycling that breaks down used plastic into pyrolysis oil, which can then be reprocessed into new plastics at virgin polymers facilities.

The 2.5mn ft² plant will cost $950mn, including infrastructure such as roads and rail access, Brightmark said.

A previous plan to build a chemical recycling facility in Macon, Georgia, ended in 2022 after Mayor Lester Miller withdrew his support, citing "long-term safety concerns" from Brightmark's "unproven process".

The company finished construction of its first chemical recycling plant in Ashley, Indiana, in 2022. Brightmark said it has recycled 2,000t of plastic waste so far at its Indiana plant, well behind its anticipated volume of 100,000 t/yr.

By Zach Kluver