Neste and Ravago are aiming to build an industrial facility for chemical recycling at the North Sea Port site in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, as the first stage of a joint venture in expanding chemical recycling capacity based on Alterra Energy’s thermochemical liquefaction technology.
The strategic partnership apparently combines Ravago’s experience in the mechanical preparation of plastic waste, Neste’s knowledge of processing hydrocarbons, and Alterra Energy’s propriety technological innovation, with intentions for the North Sea Port facility to be the first industrial chemical recycling site in Vlissingen.
According to the companies, the North Sea Port site will have an annual processing capacity of around 55,000 tonnes of mixed plastic waste. This apparently corresponds to the plastic packaging waste generated by 1.7 million EU citizens annually.
Theo Roussis, CEO at Ravago, comments: “By fixing the investment location and scope, we are again one step closer to turning our dream into reality.
“Together with Neste, we have the necessary ingredients for a successful recipe to create scalable solutions, converting non-recyclable waste streams into valuable end products.”
Mercedes Alonso, executive vice president of renewable polymers and chemicals at Neste, adds: “By combining the expertise of Ravago and Neste, we have the means to rapidly implement the technology to start production at commercial scale.
“With joint and dedicated efforts, we can bring together the know-how along the entire value chain to turn waste into valuable resources.
“Our ambition is clear: to be a global leader in renewable and circular solutions.”
In 2019, Neste and Ravago established a chemical recycling collaboration with the target of processing over 200,000 tonnes of waste plastic a year. Neste has since announced its Neste RE, a recycled, bio-based feedstock that it says is compatible with existing polymer and chemical production infrastructures, and suitable for applications such as packaging.
This joint venture – which is currently awaiting regulatory approval – represents the next step in Neste and Ravago’s partnership to increase circularity in the plastics industry with chemical recycling innovations.
