ExxonMobil plans a 30,000 tonne/year plastic waste recycling plant in Texas

MADRID (ICIS)–ExxonMobil is aiming to build a 30,000 tonne/year recycling plant for plastic waste in Baytown, Texas, the US energy and chemicals major said on Monday.

The plant is expected to start up by the end of 2022.

The company did not disclose capital expenditure (capex) figures.

The producer said the plant would be part of plans to add 500,000 tonnes/year of recycling capacity by the end of 2026 “across multiple” sites.

“We’ve proven our proprietary advanced recycling technology in Baytown, and we’re scaling up operations to supply certified circular polymers by year-end,” said Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil chemicals division.

To date, that trial has recycled around 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste, said ExxonMobil, with proven capability to recycle 50 tonnes/day.

‘EFFECTIVE REGULATIONS’
ExxonMobil said capacities at the Baytown projected facilities could be “expanded quickly if effective policy and regulations” are in place to prop up residential and industrial plastic waste collection and sorting.

The US major has formed a joint venture in France with Plastic Energy to build a recycling plant in Notre Dame de Gravenchon, expected to process 25,000 tonnes/year of plastic waste. Start-up is forecast for 2023.

The partners are mulling expanding the facilities to bring processing capacity to 33,000 tonnes/year, said ExxonMobil.

The company is also assessing sites in the Netherlands, the US Gulf Coast, Canada, and Singapore, it added.

(Thumbnail shows compressed plastic. Image by Xinhua/Shutterstock)