Shell Chemicals and Braskem S.A. (São Paulo, Brazil) will collaborate to increase the amount of circular content used in Braskem’s production of polypropylene as part of a wider value chain enhancement. The circular polypropylene will be produced using a ISCC PLUS-certified feedstock, based on a mass balance approach and will be used by Braskem’s customers in a variety of applications such as in the packaging and automotive sectors.
Shell plans to upgrade, and process pyrolysis oil made from plastic waste, at its new upgrader plant at Shell’s Chemicals Park at Moerdijk, Netherlands, before delivery and further conversion at Braskem’s polypropylene plant in Wesseling, Germany. The upgrader, which is under construction, has a capacity to process up to 50,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil a year and will remove many of the impurities found within pyrolysis oil to produce higher quality feedstock for chemicals production. This upgraded feedstock can be used to replace conventional virgin fossil feedstocks for the chemicals industry.
Daniëlle Ebentreich, Chief Marketing & Sustainability Officer at Shell Chemicals states “This agreement emphasizes our commitment to addressing challenging environmental issues, like plastic waste and hard-to-recycle plastics. By using our investments in innovative, sustainable projects at Shell’s strategically positioned Energy and Chemical Parks we are able to play a key role, together with our partners throughout the value chain, in unlocking sustainable solutions for our customers and society.”
“Adopting initiatives that include plastic waste recovery, and mechanical and chemical recycling in our production processes is connected to our company’s purpose to provide a more circular and sustainable future, on top of the leading position Braskem has in biopolymers globally. This agreement represents an important step to combine Shell’s technology and infrastructure with Braskem’s polymer expertise and market knowledge towards more sustainable and scalable solutions”, says Walmir Soller, VP of Olefins and Polyolefins at Braskem Europe & Asia.