Shell is to supply Brazilian petrochemical and polymer producer Braskem with "circular" feedstock for polypropylene (PP) production, based on chemical recycling of plastic waste.
Shell will process pyrolysis oil from chemical recycling at its site in Moerdijk. It operates a steam cracker at the site and is currently building an upgrading unit designed to remove impurities from pyrolysis oil to make it a higher-quality cracker feedstock. PP feedstocks produced in the process will then be sent to Braskem's PP unit in Wesseling, Germany, for polymerisation. Shell's upgrader is scheduled to enter production in 2024.
PP is primarily based on propylene, which is a product of steam cracking, although some grades — known as copolymers — also contain ethylene. The "circular" PP produced from the eventual process will be ISCC+ certified as produced from recycled feedstock, based on a mass balance approach.
This agreement represents an important step to combine Shell's technology and infrastructure with Braskem's polymer expertise and market knowledge towards more sustainable and scalable solutions", Walmir Soller, Braskem Europe and Asia vice president of olefins and polyolefins, said.
