TotalEnergies and Indaver partner to produce petrochemical feedstock from polyolefin waste

17 Oct 2022 --- TotalEnergies has partnered with European waste management and recycling firm Indaver to deliver petrochemical feedstock produced from recycled mixed polyolefin waste including PE and PP.

TotalEnergies will buy the petrochemical feedstock made at Indaver’s initial Plastics2Chemicals (P2C) facility in Antwerp, Belgium.

“Indaver’s P2C depolymerization technology allows for recycling end-of-life plastics such as polyolefins and polystyrene by converting them into a petrochemical feedstock that can be used for the production of high-demand packaging materials,” says Paul De Bruycker, CEO of the Indaver Group.

“With P2C, we significantly expand the possibilities for recycling of end-of-life plastics waste that could previously not be recycled or only be used for conversion into low-value applications,” he continues.

Indaver will provide and convert post-consumer mixed plastic waste into a petrochemical feedstock using its unique depolymerization technique.

TotalEnergies will transform this petrochemical feedstock into high-quality circular polymers. The company says the recycled polymers will be ideal for a wide range of high-demanding applications, including food-grade packaging due to the expectancy that they will have qualities and attributes identical to those of virgin polymers.

The collaboration's plant is planned for completion in 2024.“A collaboration throughout the value chain is critical to develop a more circular and sustainable economy. This partnership contributes to our ambition of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030,” says Valérie Goff, senior vice president of renewable fuels and chemicals at TotalEnergies.

The plant is currently being built and is expected to start operating in 2024.

An industry blindspot
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 12% of the world’s oil consumption is made up of petrochemical feedstock and this percentage is predicted to increase due to rising demand for products like plastics and fertilizers.

Despite its magnitude, the petrochemical feedstock sector continues to be underrepresented in the discussion of global energy. A recent review, The Future of Petrochemicals, examines the sector’s role in the current global energy system.

The IEA is conducting an ongoing investigation of energy blind spots in the petrochemical industry, which are significant areas of energy demand that fail to receive the level of attention from policymakers that they deserve.

“Our economies are heavily dependent on petrochemicals, but the sector receives far less attention than it deserves. Petrochemicals are one of the key blind spots in the global energy debate, especially given the influence they will exert on future energy trends,” says Dr. Fatih Birol, executive director at the IEA.

The US saw petrochemical developments lately, including the “Beyond Petrochemicals: People over Pollution” initiative. Former New York City Mayor and philanthropist, Michael R. Bloomberg, said the initiative will tackle plastic producers by putting pressure on communities to block petrochemical expansion.

It advocated for stricter rules and regulations around the industry to reduce adverse health and climate effects as a cause of plastic plants’ emissions.

By Mieke Meintjes

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