Austrian plastics, producer Borealis, is expanding its recycling activities. The subsidiary of OMV plans to build an "advanced mechanical recycling plant" with an annual processing capacity of 60,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. Following the takeover of plastics recycling company mtm plastics in 2016 and Ecoplast Kunststoffrecycling in 2018, the new plant is the next step on the path towards a circular economy for plastics, explains the company.
The new plant will use proprietary Borealis technology to convert polyolefin-based post-consumer waste into high-performance polymers for use in demanding applications. The decision to push ahead with the planning of the plant was driven by the positive feedback received from the market on recycled polyolefins produced by a pilot plant in Lahnstein, the company went on to explain. The pilot plant, which is run by Borealis, Tomra and Zimmerman as a joint enterprise, employs the same technology.
Once the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage is complete, Borealis expects to make a final investment decision in the second half of 2023. By the end of next year, the company then hopes to be able to start construction work on the new plant. The first consignments of recycled polyolefin products are expected for 2025.
The new plant will help Borealis deliver on its sustainability commitments. For example, the company aims to reach a supply capacity of 600,000 tonnes of circular products worldwide by 2025. In the middle-term, Borealis plans to triple that output capacity and achieve to 1.8 million tonnes per year by 2030.
