Total Energies, Aramco and SABIC create plastic waste-derived oil in circular economy boost

19 Jul 2023 --- Total Energies, Aramco and SABIC have successfully converted oil derived from plastic waste into ISCC+ certified circular polymers. The conversion is “a first” for the Middle East and North Africa. 

The plastic pyrolysis oil, also called plastic waste-derived oil, was processed at the Satorp refinery, jointly owned by Aramco and Total Energies, in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. It was then used as a feedstock by Petrokemya, a SABIC affiliate, to produce certified circular polymers. 

“This achievement illustrates the importance of the petrochemical sector in creating more sustainable products and solutions,” comments Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, Aramco’s president of Downstream. 

The project aims to establish a domestic value chain for advanced plastic recycling to circular polymers in Saudi Arabia. As non-sorted plastics, which are difficult to recycle mechanically, are included in the process, the project contributes to solving the plastics circularity challenge.

A first milestone for the project was obtaining ISCC+ certification to ensure transparency and traceability of the recycled origin of feedstock and products.

Three industrial plants were involved in the conversion process: SATORP refinery, Aramco’s Ju’aymah NGL Fractionation Plant and Petrokemya. All of these plants successfully obtained the ISCC+ certification, enabling the production of circular materials.

The project aims to establish a domestic value chain for plastic recycling in Saudi Arabia.Petrochemical value chain cooperation
Aramco aims to produce circular products that could be scaled up at a low cost by leveraging the spare capacity of existing infrastructure.

Aramco says it is considering multiple ways of tapping into new technologies and leveraging existing assets to support the deployment of circular, lower-carbon products.

Bernard Pinatel, Total Energies’ president for Refining & Chemicals, comments: “This advanced plastic recycling initiative reflects our ambition to concretely contribute to addressing the challenge of end-of-life of plastics. Several other circular economy projects are being studied, leveraging the partners’ technical expertise and experience to further contribute to plastics recycling.”

“It is a major pathway toward Total Energies’ target to produce 30% of circular polymers by 2030, and its strategy to build a multi-energy company with the ambition to get to net zero by 2050.”

Sami Al-Osaimi, SABIC’s executive vice president for Petrochemicals, adds: “SABIC is a national champion in chemicals that supports Saudi Vision 2030, ensuring sustainable future growth by focusing on environment, energy and climate.”

“This project shows collaboration across the petrochemical value chain to overcome upstream and downstream challenges in circular plastics. To this end, SABIC recently announced its target of one million metric tons of Trucircle solutions by 2030, which intends to help provide our customers with more sustainable solutions.”

SABIC and Total Energies are founding members of the non-profit organization Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which aims to bring collective knowledge, resources and experience to address current waste management challenges.

Circular polymers for Europe
In related news, Total Energies acquired Spanish mechanical recycling specialist Iber Resinas to increase its production of circular polymers in Europe, extend its range of recycled products and enhance its access to feedstock through Iber Resinas’s network of suppliers.

Meanwhile, the energy giant and Paprec signed a long-term commercial agreement to develop a French value chain for the advanced recycling of plastic film waste. The deal secures the material supply from Total Energies’ future advanced plastic recycling plant in Grandpuits, France.

“The objective in France is to collect and recycle more and more plastics. Through Citeo for packaging but also with our industrial partners. We have designed our plant to meet the anticipated growth of collection of plastics not recycled before,” David Etienne, COO at Paprec Plastiques, told Packaging Insights.

Total Energies partnered with European recycling firm Indaver to deliver petrochemical feedstock from recycled mixed polyolefin waste, including PE and PP. 

The company also bought the petrochemical feedstock made at Indaver’s initial Plastics2Chemicals facility in Antwerp, Belgium.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim