Plastic Energy and Sabic have produced the first batch of pyrolysis oil, branded as Tacoil, at their Sabic Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling joint venture in Geleen, the Netherlands. The oil is derived from hard-to-recycle post-consumer plastic waste that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled. The start-up marks a key step on the facility’s path to full commercial operations expected later this year. Tacoil can be used as a replacement for conventional naphtha in existing petrochemical plants, enabling the manufacture of food-contact packaging, medical-grade plastics and other high-quality products. According to the partners, polymers made from this feedstock will increase the commercial availability of circular polymers that brand owners have used in consumer and packaging applications since 2019.
Plastic Energy’s patented Tac chemical recycling process breaks down mixed plastic waste using heat in an oxygen-free environment. Once fully operational, the Geleen plant is designed to recycle 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. The technology has been demonstrated at industrial scale at the company’s facilities in Spain and is designed to integrate into the existing plastics value chain.
In Europe, less than 30 percent of an estimated 32 million tonnes of plastic waste is currently recycled. The Spear facility is set to be the first example of a third-party chemical recycling technology being integrated into an existing petrochemical site, and is intended to help support the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation objective for all packaging to be fully recyclable by 2030.
Management comment
Ian Temperton, Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Energy, said: "Producing our first Tacoil at Spear is a major step forward for the plastic recycling industry. It underscores the capabilities of Plastic Energy’s technology, the robustness of our process and the dedication of our excellent team. We value the collaboration with our project partner Sabic and are proud to have achieved this milestone together."
He added: "Recycling plastic waste into new plastics is critical to building a circular economy, and that is exactly what this plant delivers. It boosts recycling rates, helps reduce CO2 emissions by diverting used plastic from incineration, and shows what is possible when innovation meets scale."
The project is being executed with a Top Sector Energy Subsidy from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands.
About Plastic Energy
Plastic Energy develops chemical recycling solutions that convert end-of-life plastic waste into feedstock for new plastics. Its patented Tac technology produces Tacoil that can substitute fossil-based oils in the manufacture of virgin-quality recycled plastics. The company currently operates two chemical recycling plants in Spain and has sold recycled oils from the conversion of end-of-life plastic waste for use in new polymer production.
The Sabic Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling (Spear) plant in Geleen, the Netherlands
