ROTTERDAM: Shell Chemicals Europe and Pryme BV announced a strategic cooperation and offtake agreement for pyrolysis oil made from recycled plastic waste.

Pryme will supply Shell from its first plant located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Currently under construction, the plant is scheduled to become operational in 2022 and is forecast to convert 60,000 tonnes of plastic waste into pyrolysis oil annually.

Shell will use Pryme’s pyrolysis oil in its Moerdijk (The Netherlands) and Rheinland (Germany) crackers to make circular chemicals products.

The agreement also includes provision for future supply to be delivered from Pryme’s proposed second plant in the region. The proposed plant will have an estimated annual pyrolysis oil production capacity of 350,000 tonnes. Start-up for the second plant is planned for 2024.

“With increasing demand for circular chemicals from customers, our agreement with Pryme enables us to significantly grow volumes as early as next year. The agreement builds on Shell’s ambition to recycle one million tonnes of plastic waste per year in our global chemicals plants by 2025,” said Thomas Casparie, SVP North West Europe, Shell Chemicals and Products.

 “To support the long-term growth of this promising industry, Shell is excited to work with key partners to develop the solutions necessary to produce the industrial quantities required to meet customer demand and our ambition.”

As part of the strategic agreement, Shell and Pryme will cooperate on the testing and evaluation of pyrolysis liquid samples from Pryme’s test plant in Ghent, Belgium. This process will enhance the understanding of both companies into the optimal properties of pyrolysis oil for use in chemical crackers. This is a key step needed to develop and mature the value chain and will bring efficiencies to the recycling of plastic waste on an industrial scale.

“We are excited to announce our strategic cooperation with Shell, which we see as an important validation of our technology. This relationship, combined with our scalable technology, will enable Pryme to commit to equivalent long-term volumes with plastic waste suppliers and help accelerate the growth of this developing and necessary value chain.” says Jos van der Endt, CEO and founder of Pryme.

“I’m delighted we are building on our strong relationship with Shell. We are both committed to developing the pyrolysis oil market; and together I’m sure we can make significant progress in advancing an industrial scale plastic waste to chemicals value chain.”