LyondellBasell: Pyrolysis Reactors Installed for MoReTec Plant in Wesseling

LyondellBasell (LYB) has reached another milestone in the construction of its chemical recycling plant at its Wesseling site. The two pyrolysis reactors for the “MoReTec-1” plant have been installed, the company announced.

The reactors form the core of the catalytic recycling technology developed by LyondellBasell. Together with a proprietary catalyst, they are designed to break down plastic waste that is difficult to recycle mechanically into smaller molecules. This process produces pyrolysis oil and gas, which can be used as feedstocks for the production of new plastics. Intended applications include flexible food packaging.

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The MoReTec-1 plant in Wesseling is designed to process 50,000 metric tons per year. According to LyondellBasell, this is roughly equivalent to the amount of plastic packaging waste generated annually by more than 1.2 million people in Germany.

In the process, pre-sorted and pre-treated plastic waste is fed into the reactors together with a catalyst. The resulting feedstocks can then be used in crackers to produce monomers such as ethylene and propylene. These, in turn, can be used to manufacture polyethylene and polypropylene.

LyondellBasell is receiving EUR 40 million in funding from the European Union’s Innovation Fund for the construction of MoReTec-1.

More information: www.lyondellbasell.com

LyondellBasell, Houston, Texas, USA