LyondellBasell opens new pilot molecular recycling facility in Italy

LyondellBasell opens new pilot molecular recycling facility in Italy

LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refi Ning companies in the world, has announced thestart-upof its new ‘MoReTec’molecularrecycling facilitates Ferrara, Italy,site.Withthis new plant, the company aims to industrialise its proprietary recycling technology to return post-consumer plastic wastes to their molecular form for use as a feedstock for plastic materials. “Ending plastic waste in the environment and advancing the circular economy re key sustainability fo cu areas for our company,” said Mr. Jim Seward, LyondellBasell Senior Vice President of R&D, Technology and Sustainability. “With our advanced plastics recycling technology, we return larger volumes of plastic waste back into the value chain andproduce new materials  for high-quality applications, retaining their value for as long as possible.” The new plastic materials created by LyondellBasell’s ‘MoReTec’ technology can be used in food packaging and healthcare items, which must meet strictregulatory requirements. 

In July 2018, LyondellBasell an- nounced a collaborative effort with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to advance its Molecular recycling efforts. This Collaboration proved the effi ciency of the ‘MoReTec’ Technology at laboratory scale and, in October 2019 the company announced The construction of the Ferrara pilot plant.The pilot plant is capable of processing Between 5 and 10 kilograms of household plastic waste per hour. 

The Pilot 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 waste into molecules. The goal is to have this completed over the next couple of years and then plan for an industrial scale unit.