A lot of plastic waste such as agricultural foil or crisp bags cannot now be recycled because it is too dirty or consists of multiple layers. The PyroCHEM project aims to make the chemical industry more sustainable by optimizing and scaling up the chemical recycling of plastic waste and the pyrolysis of other (biomass) residual flows. The ambition: to process 2030 million tons of waste plastic annually into new raw materials for the chemical industry from 1.
Recycling plays a crucial role in raw materials transition
There is an urgent and growing demand for circular raw materials. Recycling plays a crucial role in this. Not only are valuable raw materials reused, recycling can also contribute to lower CO2 emissions in production chains. In Europe, only a third of plastic waste is now recycled; worldwide only 15%. The rest is burned, landfilled or ends up in nature. This has a negative impact on the environment, contributes to climate change and causes high ecological and economic costs.
Pyrolysis: chemical recycling through oxygen-free heating
Plastic waste that is currently not suitable for recycling is often too contaminated, such as agricultural film, or consists of multiple layers, such as crisps and coffee bags. In the Netherlands alone, this amounts to 629 kilotons of plastic waste annually. This is currently being burned to produce energy; a very low-quality form of waste processing.
There is a technology that can process contaminated plastic - but also other (biomass) residual flows - at a high-quality level: pyrolysis. By means of oxygen-free heating, these waste flows are reduced to circular or bio-based building blocks from which the chemical industry can make new products. Pyrolysis technology is still in development, but successes have already been achieved, including in the Moerdijk Pyrolysis Test Garden. The PyroCHEM project partners will now scale up the technology and further develop the value chain.
PyroCHEM: Waste2Chem Innovation Cluster
The PyroCHEM project partners want to make the chemical industry more sustainable and optimize and scale up the pyrolysis of other (biomass) residual flows.
In the PyroCHEM project, Waste4ME is designing a demonstration plant with a capacity of 35 kilotons. In addition, the project partners are developing a Waste2Chem open innovation cluster. Here, SMEs can use the facilities and network of the PyroCHEM project partners on favorable terms to optimize their pyrolysis technology and collaborate on roadmaps towards market introduction. The partners of the PyroCHEM project want to chemically recycle 2030 million tons of plastic annually into valuable raw materials from 1. This reduces 1,7 million tons of CO2 eq every year and saves 550 kilotons of oil.
Intensive cooperation
The partners of the PyroCHEM project work intensively together to turn West Brabant into a Waste2Chem hotspot.
Port of Moerdijk offers a location for the establishment of commercial-scale pyrolysis installations, Waste4ME makes a design for the pilot plant and tests five waste streams from waste processor Renewi. Van der Kooy shares its facilities and knowledge regarding the recycling of oils and fats. The Green Chemistry Campus connects to the circular ecosystem in the region and provides a location for pyrolysis activities on a demo scale. The Brabant Development Agency (BOM) is developing the innovation cluster and Avans University of Applied Sciences offers knowledge in the field of pyrolysis, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and involves students.
Strengthening and making Brabant's economy more sustainable
West Brabant is ideally suited as a location for the PyroCHEM project. Here you will find knowledge, experience and facilities in the field of pyrolysis, excellent logistics connections and a large concentration of companies that focus on chemicals and recycling. In this way, we are working together in this region to create a resilient circular economy.
REACT EU
The PyroCHEM project has a value of € 2,9 million and is made possible by the European Regional Development Fund and the province of North Brabant in the context of REACT-EU.
Source: greenchemistrycampus.nl
