PureCycle selects Belgian site for plastic recycling investment

PureCycle Technologies Inc. and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges have announced that PureCycle will build its first polypropylene (PP) recycling facility in Europe at the port’s NextGen District in Belgium.

The Orlando, Florida-based company says it expects the new plant to have an annual capacity of 59,000 metric tons, with opportunities to expand operations down the road since the 34-acre plot can support up to four processing lines, increasing total capacity to around 240,000 metric tons per year.

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Purecycle says it is currently engaged in feedstock sourcing and financial planning with the intent to secure a final project timeline by mid-2023. The company says it expects construction to begin upon the completion of the permitting process, which is currently anticipated in 2024.

The NextGen District is located at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Europe’s second-largest seaport. PureCycle says it was recently awarded a concessionaire contract during NextGen’s competitive bid selection process.

“The announcement of our first location in Europe marks the next phase in executing PureCycle’s global growth strategy,” PureCycle Vice President of European Operations Wiebe Schipper says. “We are excited to bring our ultra-pure recycled (UPR) resin to customers in Europe, where companies and policies are at the forefront of the circular economy. Being in the NextGen District will enable us to capitalize on existing efficiencies, collaborate with other innovators in the space and forge new partnerships.”

Port of Antwerp-Bruges CEO Jacques Vandermeiren says, “The Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ NextGen District is committed to creating an innovation hotspot where companies dedicated to building a circular economy and developing sustainable solutions to some of the world’s toughest climate and environmental challenges can thrive. We’re thrilled to be partnering with PureCycle on this strategic project to help bring that vision to life.”

PureCycle says it is already in active negotiations with potential feedstock and offtake partners and expects to commence commercial operations at its new European facility once construction of the first processing line is completed. It adds that the new PP purification plant also is expected to create 65-70 new jobs for local residents during the initial phase of the project.

“PureCycle selected Flanders as the preferred location within the EU for the construction of its first European recycling plant,” Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon says. “This confirms that Flanders is among the world leaders in waste collection and processing and strengthens our position even more firmly as a leading recycling hub. PureCycle’s purification technology is a game changer within the circular economy and will have a major impact on making plastics—and preeminently the chemical cluster around the Port of Antwerp-Bruges—even more sustainable.

“As a region that pioneers in circular innovation, we are extremely proud to welcome this new ecosystem-strengthening partner in Flanders,” Jambon adds. “Export and investment promotion agency Flanders Investment & Trade played a leading role in this investment dossier through teams in the U.S. and in Flanders. FIT also supports PureCycle in the start-up and development of their site and their anchoring in Flanders.”

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PureCycle says it is expanding globally and actively scaling its production capabilities, with its flagship recycling facility in Ironton, Ohio, set to start pellet production in the first quarter of 2023; a second plant in Augusta, Georgia, under initial construction; and its first PP recycling plant in Asia on track to open in 2025.