Plastic Energy, TotalEnergies start up chemical recycling plant near Paris

Chemical recycler Plastic Energy, London, and TotalEnergies, an energy company based in Paris, have announced the startup of their joint chemical plastics recycling plant at TotalEnergies’ zero-crude Grandpuits complex, located outside of Paris.

The facility, TotalEnergies Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling (TEPEAR), has an annual processing capacity of 15,000 tons and uses Plastic Energy’s patented technology to convert hard-to-recycle plastics into feedstock for the production of new plastics.

Following the production of the first batch of Tacoil earlier this year, the partners say the plant now is operational and producing feedstock from end-of-life plastics.

Plastic Energy says its proprietary TAC technology converts hard-to-recycle plastics that otherwise would be sent to landfill or incineration into Tacoil, an alternative to traditional fossil-based feedstock.

Plastic Energy says the recycled oil is processed at TotalEnergies’ petrochemical sites and enables the production of plastics suitable for applications such as food-contact packaging, medical-grade materials and other products.

“The start-up of the Grandpuits recycling plant marks an important milestone for advanced recycling in Europe and highlights the strength and efficacy of Plastic Energy’s patented technology, the robustness of our process and, above all, the dedication and expertise of our outstanding team,” says Plastic Energy CEO Ian Temperton. “We are proud to share this success with our partner, TotalEnergies. Together, we’ve shown what is possible when leading companies combine their capabilities to create scalable, sustainable solutions for the future of plastics.”

Valérie Goff, senior vice president, Renewables, Fuels & Chemicals at TotalEnergies, says the plant’s startup is an important milestone in the conversion of the Grandpuits site into a zero-crude complex.

“Alongside Plastic Energy, contributing its technology, and our partners Citeo and Paprec, we are supporting the emergence of a new French plastic recycling activity,” Goff says.

Plastic Energy claims its technology, also deployed at its commercial plants in Spain, has proven itself at an industrial scale and is designed to integrate directly into existing petrochemical facilities. According to the company, this is particularly important given that less than 30 percent of the roughly 32 million tons of plastic scrap generated in Europe each year currently is recycled.

“By converting difficult-to-recycle plastics into high-quality feedstock for new materials, advanced recycling can help support industry efforts to meet the EU’s goals for circular plastics under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.”