LyondellBasell to build new small-scale molecular recycling facility

LyondellBasell has announced the construction of a new small pilot facility at its Ferrara base in Italy to further the large-scale conversion of post-consumer plastic waste into new plast.

In collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, LyondellBasell's proprietary molecular recycling technology, known as MoReTec, has demonstrated the use of catalysts during pyrolysis, or the structural breakdown of plastic waste Molecules, which are faster and more energy efficient than traditional chemical recycli.

Jim Seward, Senior Vice President of R&D, Technology and Sustainability at LyondellBasell, said: “We have increased our chemical recycling capabilities over the past 15 months and through research and testing, we are looking at multiple LyondellBasell’s A proprietary catalyst opti.

LyondellBasell's MoReTec technology aims to convert normally difficult-to-recycle plastic waste, such as multilayer films, into a molecular state that is used to produce raw materials for new plastics for all applications, including food contact and healthcare produc.

LyondellBasell sees great potential in this approach because it uses less energy, the chemical conversion process is faster and consumes less he.

Over the next few months, LyondellBasell will continue to build its pilot facility in Ferrara, while also focusing on the interaction of various waste types in molecular recovery processes, catalyst selection, process conditio.

The development of molecular recycling is just one of three ways LyondellBasell is advancing sustainable solutions related to plastic was.