Lyondell Basell is exploring a strategic partnership with thermal waste recovery company EEW Energy from Waste to advance its plastics recycling efforts in Europe, the company said on March 27.
The letter of intent includes a proposal to build waste presorting facilities near EEW waste incineration plants to remove plastics from waste streams bound for incineration, according to Lyondell Basell.
The recycled materials would be converted into a feedstock for mechanical and advance recycling processes. The recovery process also would remove materials from the incineration waste stream, which would eliminate CO2 emissions from burning plastics.
"With this cooperation, we are creating a convincing solution for plastic waste for which recycling is still ruled out today," says Bernard M. Kemper, chief executive officer EEW Energy from Waste. "EEW will first build a sorting facility and sort out plastics to recover them for the raw material cycle."
The partnership also includes investment in advanced sorting facilities to further sort and refine the plastic that has been removed. The collaboration supports Lyondell Basell’s strategy to invest in advanced sorting infrastructure to produce plastic waste-based feedstocks, grow its circular and low-carbon solutions business and deliver on its value creation ambitions.
"Collaborations across the value chain are part of our strategy and are increasingly necessary to free up plastic waste from sources that today do not end up in recycling," says Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell executive vice president, circular and low-carbon solutions. "The materials from these sorting facilities would not only support our existing mechanical recycling facilities in the Netherlands and a potential advanced recycling unit in Germany, but also allows us to optimize waste streams and drive additional value."
In early March, Lyondell Basell announced the acquisition of Italy-based thermoplastics compounds manufacturer Mepol Group. The acquisition will help Lyondell Basell advance production of sustainable polymer compounds used in recycled plastics. The company will use the materials in its polymers product Circulen Recover, produced using recycled resins, and other sustainable solutions, said Torkel Rhenman, the company’s executive vice president of Advanced Polymer Solutions.
In February, the Dutch chemical company said it would co-invest with Kirkbi A/S, majority owner of the Lego toy brand, in APK AG’s process that converts packaging waste into plastic granules using a solvent-based separation process.