Ineos: Memorandum of Understanding with Recuro for chemical plastics recycling plant in Norway

Ineos and Norwegian recycling company Recuro have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a chemical plastics recycling plant at the Bamble polymer site in Norway. Once operational, the facility is expected to process up to 33,000 tonnes of end-of-life plastic waste per year, increasing the availability of recycled feedstocks needed to meet the requirements of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The project, named "Full Circle," will make use of existing industrial land, infrastructure, and utility systems at the site. According to the partners, this approach will reduce both capital investment and environmental impacts compared with constructing a new greenfield facility.

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The plant will be powered entirely by renewable energy from Norway. It will employ a pyrolysis process that utilizes both the resulting oil and gas fractions as feedstocks for further material recycling. The companies state that this approach is intended to keep as much of the carbon contained in the plastic as possible within the material cycle, rather than recovering it through energy generation.

Ineos plans to use the recycled feedstocks in its Rafnes steam cracker to produce recycled ethylene. This will then serve as the raw material for the production of virgin-quality polyethylene at the neighboring Bamble site. The material is intended to meet EU regulatory requirements for demanding applications such as food and medical packaging.

For Recuro, the project represents an important step in expanding its plastics recycling activities. The company highlighted support from the Norwegian funding agency Innovation Norway, technology partner Vixla, and its collaboration with Ineos.

Ineos views the project as a contribution to the development of a lower-carbon circular economy. At the same time, the company is calling for a harmonized European regulatory framework that recognizes products made from chemical recycling and provides investment certainty for the expansion of these technologies.

More information: www.ineos.com, www.recuro.no

Ineos Olefins & Polymers, Rolle, Schweiz

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