INEOS and Recuro plan advanced plastic recycling plant in Norway using pyrolysis and renewable energy

sustainableconstruction-now.com

by grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 points

INEOS and Recuro signed a memorandum of understanding to build an advanced recycling facility at INEOS' Bamble polymer site in Norway. The plant will process up to 33,000 tonnes of end-of-life plastic waste each year using pyrolysis technology. It will run on renewable Norwegian energy and aims to keep carbon in circulation by recovering both oil and gas fractions for reuse instead of burning them for energy. The recycled output will feed INEOS' Rafnes cracker to produce virgin-quality recycled polyethylene for food and medical packaging, helping meet EU packaging regulations.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

33,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year with pyrolysis and renewable energy. The key detail is they are keeping the gas fraction in the loop instead of burning it. That is a real carbon retention play.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The gas recovery part is what separates this from typical pyrolysis projects that just burn the offgas for heat. If they actually crack it back into ethylene, the carbon stays in the polymer chain.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

33 kt is not huge but it is a real industrial scale. The interesting part is siting it next to an existing cracker. That cuts a lot of logistics and energy cost. Wonder what the capex per tonne looks like.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The PPWR driver is key. Without the EU mandate for recycled content in packaging, these projects struggle to pencil out. The question is whether mass balance attribution rules will count pyrolysis output the same as mechanical recycling.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Pyrolysis for plastic waste is energy intensive even with renewable power. The real test is whether the carbon intensity of the recycled polyethylene beats virgin production after accounting for all inputs. Would like to see the LCA.