Recycling: WPU plans pyrolysis oil facility in Rotterdam; Niutech breaks ground on 100 kt tyre pyrolysis plant in China

Energy firm Vitol’s plastics recycling business WPU plans to build a new chemical recycling facility for end-of-life plastics at the Port of Rotterdam, alongside Vitol’s refinery, VPR. The new plant will have the capacity to process 80,000 tonnes/year of post-consumer end-of-life plastic, increasing WPU’s total recycling capacity to 100,000 tonnes/year.

The Rotterdam facility is expected to be one of Europe’s largest chemical recycling plants for end-of-life plastics. Using WPU’s proprietary batch pyrolysis technology, it will convert end-of-life plastic into pyrolysis oil, a circular feedstock for the production of circular chemicals, intermediates and new plastics, targeting a lower carbon intensity than fossil naphtha.

The project comes as demand grows for circular feedstocks and as European policy continues to support higher recycled content and the decarbonisation of petrochemical value chains.

Jeffrey van Geloof, CEO of WPU and managing director of VPR, said: “This project would mark an important milestone in WPU’s growth. Building on the operating experience we have gained in Denmark, it would significantly expand our recycling capacity and represent the next step in scaling our technology for the European market.”

WPU’s pyrolysis technology has already been successfully deployed at its plant in Farevejle, Denmark, which has a recycling capacity of 20,000 tonnes/year. It is currently operating close to full capacity and is a reliable supplier to its customers.

WPU adds it is among the first companies to deploy plastics pyrolysis at commercial scale for end-of-life plastic.

The plant will incorporate furnace technology designed to reduce emissions and lower energy use. Similar technology has already been deployed at Vitol’s Rotterdam refinery, VPR, which has resulted in a 50% reduction in NOx emissions, an 80% reduction in SO2 emissions and a 40% reduction in energy consumption, making VPR one of the most energy-efficient refineries in Europe.

The project remains subject to the relevant regulatory approvals. A comprehensive stakeholder consultation will be undertaken as part of this process.

In other news, China’s Niutech Environment Technology Corporation (Niutech) says that its majority-owned subsidiary, Shandong Hesheng Environment Technology Co., Ltd.(Hesheng), has officially broken ground on a 100,000 tonnes/year tyre pyrolysis expansion project, which scales up Hesheng’s total annual processing capacity from 60,000 to 160,000 tonnes/year.

This project expansion will deploy Niutech’s next-generation and large-capacity industrial continuous pyrolysis equipment, which it says will cut unit operating costs and boost project economics, providing a stronger support for large-scale, sustainable commercial operation of tyre pyrolysis projects.

It also added that Hesheng continues to enhance stability and quality of its pyrolysis products. Currently, Hesheng’s tyre pyrolysis oil has obtained international certifications, enabling it to high-end global markets.

Meanwhile, it says that through technological innovation, pyrolysis carbon black is continuously being upgraded toward standardisation and high-value-added applications to better meet customer demands for product consistency, stability, and application performance.

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