Repsol, Axens and IFPEN pioneer chemical recycling pyrolysis for food-grade recycled plastics
28 Jun 2021 --- Repsol, Axens and IFPEN are partnering to develop the patented Rewind Mix pyrolysis process for chemically recycling plastic waste.
The Rewind Mix process purifies plastics pyrolysis oils, allowing direct and undiluted processing in existing petrochemical plants for producing circular plastics.
In 2015, Repsol claimed to be the first company to reintroduce oil from chemically recycled plastic waste not suited for conventional mechanical recycling on an industrial scale at its Puertollano, Spain, industrial complex.
Axens is a leading circular economy tech group and IFPEN is a renowned French research and innovation energy organization.
The partners have developed a “pioneering” process to enhance plastic waste chemical recycling and boost circular materials production.
A “promising pathway” for advanced recycling
The Rewind Mix process removes impurities such as silicon, chlorine, diolefins, and metals from the plastics pyrolysis oils produced, allowing direct and undiluted feed to petrochemical units.
Pyrolysis is one of the most promising pathways for chemically recycling plastic waste and producing food-grade, low-carbon footprint, recycled plastics, the partners say.
Plastics unrecyclable in more conventional mechanical recycling streams typically get incinerated or landfilled.
Repsol, Axens and IFPEN’s pyrolysis process delivers a second life for mechanically unrecyclable plastics that end up in landfill.Polyolefins from petrochemistry constitute about half of the 400 Mt/y world plastic production and represent a major target for plastic recycling.
Today, mechanical recycling faces limitations due to feedstock quality, directly impacting product quality and potential applications, particularly food-grade use.
The partners indicate their new pyrolysis oil upgrading process will expand its deployment and allow the “massive introduction” of recycled pyrolysis oil in existing steam cracking assets.
Complementary skills and expertise
The Rewind Mix process was developed at the Repsol Technology Lab and IFPEN facilities. The process underwent extensive pilot plant testing of representative pyrolysis oils, reproducing the exact conditions of the future industrial plant, which can be integrated within the existing petrochemical units.
The process relies on Axens’ proven industrial technologies and catalysts and the partners’ long experience in the petrochemical industry.
The partners will now study the first industrial application in a Repsol facility, based on the extensive pilot testing. Meanwhile, Axens will commercialize the technology through licensing.
In 2019, Repsol started to sell circular polyolefins under the ISCC PLUS certification. The company is committed to a circular economy as one of the main pillars of transforming its industrial complexes into large multi-energy hubs, capable of using different kinds of waste and converting them into low-carbon products.
This project supports the recent announcement in the company’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan to use four million metric tons of waste per year besides recycling the equivalent of 20 percent of its polyolefins production by 2030.
Rabobank estimates global advanced recycling infrastructure will double by 2025 as regulatory and public demand for recycled plastics packaging drives “huge” investment.
The Dutch multinational bank sees advanced or chemical recycling as a “promising solution to drastically increase recycling rates of plastic packaging waste” in light of mechanical recycling’s limitations.
Edited by Joshua Poole
