Non-recyclable or non-separated municipal waste is the source to produce ISCC+ certified recycled polymers

There is not only the mechanical recycling route, when it comes to reusing municipal waste that puts pressure on the environment, but there are also other solutions , sometimes alternative and sometimes complementary, to improve the management of the waste that the world produces every day.

In each cycle of mechanical treatment of waste waste is created which cannot be recycled, waste which still contains polymers in the form of complex associations between them.

Furthermore, unfortunately, many areas of the world do not deal with waste separation, so there is a large amount of unsorted waste and not separate.

Three international companies have concluded an extensive collaboration that allows them to intercept waste that is difficult to recycle, treat it through the chemical recycling, to create a new family of recycled plastic polymers that can be put back on the market, also supported by an international certification such as ISCC+.

In fact, TotalEnergies, Aramco and SABIC successfully converted plastic waste into ISCC+ certified circular polymers.

Plastic pyrolysis oil, also called waste plastic oil (PDO), was processed at the refinery SATORP jointly owned by Aramco and TotalEnergies, in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

It was then used as a feedstock by Petrokemya, a subsidiary of SABIC, to produce certified circular polymers.

The project aims to pave the way for the establishment of an advanced plastic recycling business, transforming waste into circular polymers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The process allows for the use of non-sorted plastic, which can be difficult to recycle mechanically and, as a result, helps to solve the end-of-life plastic challenge.

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

The ISCC system (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) has a section dedicated to biomass and products derived from biomass, including recycled plastic.

The main objective of ISCC+ certification is to demonstrate that recycled plastic meets environmental, social and economic sustainability standards. The supply chain is also verified, including aspects related to traceability and compliance with environmental regulations.

Three industrial plants were involved in the process: the SATORP refinery, Aramco's Ju'aymah NGL fractionation plant and Petrokemya

All have successfully obtained ISCC+ certification, enabling the production of circular materials.

Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, President of Downstream of Aramco, said: “This result demonstrates the importance of the petrochemical sector in the creating more sustainable products and solutions.

Our goal is to create circular solutions for plastic waste, while also making progress on our ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 , through our wholly managed resources.

Aramco is considering different ways to tap into new technologies and leverage existing resources to support the implementation of low-carbon, more sustainable and circular products ".

Bernard Pinatel, President, Refining & Chemicals, TotalEnergies, said: “This advanced plastics recycling initiative reflects the ambition of TotalEnergies to concretely contribute to addressing the challenge of the end of life of plastics.

Several other circular economy projects are under study, leveraging the partners' technical expertise and experience to further contribute to plastic recycling.

It is an important path towards TotalEnergies' goal of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030 and its strategy to build a multi-energy company with the ambition to reach net zero by 2050, together with society".

Sami Al-Osaimi, SABIC EVP Petrochemicals (A), said: “SABIC is a leader in the chemical industry supporting Saudi Vision 2030, ensuring sustainable future growth by focusing on the environment, energy and climate.

This project aligns with SABIC's commitment to avoid landfill and incineration through its innovation and advanced technology capabilities.

This project showcases the collaboration of the petrochemical sector to overcome the upstream and downstream challenges of circular plastics.

To that end, SABIC recently announced its goal of one million tons of TRUCIRCLE ™ solutions by 2030, which it intends to help provide our customers with solutions more sustainable".

Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.

Source TotalEnergy