Imagine a giant neighborhood where factories and cities share a recycling system like a well-organized library. Instead of throwing away mixed plastics, this system sorts them perfectly and turns them back into raw materials. It's like creating a closed loop where nothing is wasted and everything gets a second life.
Chemical hubs struggle to process mixed plastic waste efficiently due to poor sorting and a lack of coordinated governance between cities and factories. This leads to high reliance on virgin plastics and high CO2 emissions.
A semi-industrial chemical recycling plant (18kT/a), a prototype sorting line (TRL 6), and a digital-twin governance model (CIMS).
If you are a chemical producer dealing with high virgin material costs — this project developed a chemical recycling pilot plant that can replace 190 kT/a of virgin polyolefins. This allows you to switch from fossil fuels to recycled feedstocks at scale.
If you are a packaging company dealing with strict recycling regulations — this project developed new design rules (TRL 5) that make your products easier to recycle mechanically and chemically. This ensures your products meet future circular economy standards.
If you are a waste manager dealing with contaminated mixed plastic streams — this project developed a prototype sorting line (TRL 6) and new collection protocols. This improves the quality of the waste you sell to recyclers.
The project includes a mechanical recycling setup for 4kT/a and a semi-industrial chemical recycling pilot plant for 18kT/a. Plans are being made for a full-scale facility handling 100-400 kT/a.
The project mentions a 150 M€ investment for the semi-industrial chemical recycling pilot plant and a 4BEUR Investment Agenda for 2020-2030.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on demonstrating governance models and prototype sorting lines (TRL 6), but specific licensing terms are not listed.
Scenario calculations indicate potential savings of 11.4 Mt CO2 eq./a through the implementation of these systemic solutions.
The project runs from September 2022 to August 2031, with an investment agenda spanning 2020-2030.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with 9 industrial partners (38% ratio) and 24 total partners across 5 countries. This strong industrial presence, combined with 4 universities and 2 research centers, indicates a high focus on commercial viability and practical deployment rather than theoretical research.
Contact CHEMELOT CAMPUS BV in the Netherlands for partnership opportunities.
Contact us to explore the 100-400 kT/a upscaling study results.
