LyondellBasell to open molecular recycling facility in Italy

LyondellBasell, a large plastics, chemicals and refining company based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has announced the startup of its MoReTec molecular recycling facility in Ferrara, Italy. According to a news release from LyondellBasell, the company’s MoReTec advanced recycling technology aims to return postconsumer plastics to their molecular form to use as a feedstock for new plastic materials.

“Ending plastic waste in the environment and advancing the circular economy are key sustainability focus areas for our company,” says Jim Seward, LyondellBasell senior vice president of research and development, technology and sustainability. “With our advanced plastics recycling technology, we return larger volumes of plastic waste back into the value chain and produce new materials for high-quality applications, retaining their value for as long as possible.”

LyondellBasell says the new plastic materials created by its MoReTec technology can be used in food packaging and health care items, which must meet strict regulatory requirements.

In July 2018, the company announced a collaborative effort with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology to advance its molecular recycling efforts. LyondellBasell says this collaboration “proved the efficiency of the MoReTec technology at laboratory scale.” By October 2019, the company announced the construction of the Ferrara plant.

LyondellBasell’s research-and-development teams in Germany, Italy and the U.S. are working to explore potential commercial-scale applications for its molecular recycling efforts, the company states.

The pilot plant in Ferrara is capable of processing between 5 and 10 kilograms (or about 11 to 22 pounds) of household plastic scrap per hour. The pilot plant aims to understand the interaction of various waste types in the molecular recycling process, test the various catalysts and confirm the process temperature and time needed to decompose the plastic scrap into molecules. LyondellBasell’s goal is to have this completed over the next few years and plan for an industrial-scale unit.

LyondellBasell’s MoReTec technology is part of its commitment to plastics-to-plastics recycling conversion, and the company says it complements its other circular solutions to help reduce plastic waste and advance the circular economy. The company also took 50 percent ownership of Quality Circular Polymers, a joint venture with Suez, in 2018. That business uses a mechanical recycling process to produce premium plastic pellets from packaging scrap to use in applications ranging from electrical appliances, washing detergent bottles and suitcases.