‘Our position is that advanced recycling has to be done at scale in order to make the process environmentally and commercially viable.’
Ineos Olefins & Polymers is to use process technology from Plastic Energy to produce 100,000 tonnes of material based on plastic waste feedstock per year. The agreement between the two companies will see the production of a material called TACOIL, a Plastic Energy product that can be used to create virgin-quality polymers.
Production is slated to start at the end of 2026, and Ineos will also invest in technology to process the TACOIL before using it as a feedstock for its steam crackers, where it will replace petroleum-derived feedstock. This latest development between the partners follows initial collaboration, during 2020, exploring the construction of a commercial-scale plant.
TACOIL will be produced at Ineos’ site in Köln, Germany. The company said that the use of Plastic Energy’s advanced recycling technology enables difficult-to-recycle plastic waste, otherwise sent for incineration, or to landfill, to become a ‘valuable raw material.’ The plastic produced can be used in food contact and medical applications. TACOIL has already been converted into virgin-quality polymer, through the INEOS cracker at Köln, and used by selected brands and customers to demonstrate the viability and demand for materials from advanced recycling.
Rob Ingram CEO, Ineos O&P Europe North said: ‘Our position is that advanced recycling has to be done at scale in order to make the process environmentally and commercially viable. I am therefore delighted to take this first step with Plastic Energy towards building that kind of capability from day one.’
Plastic Energy Founder and CEO Carlos Monreal added: ‘We are pleased to announce this project with Ineos to further scale our portfolio of plants in Europe.’
Pictured above: Plastic Energy CEO, Carlos Monreal; Image credit: Plastic Energy
The partners added that third-party organisations including International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) and Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), will use a mass balance approach to certify that fossil-based feedstocks have been substituted by recycled materials and that the recycled benefits are properly accounted for.
Visit Blog