Worley (North Sydney, Australia) announced that it has been awarded a front-end engineering and design (FEED) services contract by Trinseo (Berwyn, Pa.) for its first-of-a-kind chemical recycling plant in Belgium.
Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics and latex binders. The plant will use gasification technology to depolymerize post-consumer polystyrene waste into pure styrene. It’s a first-of-its-kind project on an industrial scale.
Trinseo’s plant will process 15,000 tons of recycled polystyrene flakes every year. These will be transformed into high-quality recycled styrene and used for the production of new polystyrene and/or styrene derivatives, including acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and styrene acrylonitrile (SAN).
ABS and SAN are thermoplastics polymers. They are durable and impact resistant, making them useful in the manufacture of car parts, medical devices, consumer electronics and more.
Worley completed the pre-FEED services for the project in 2021. TheFEED scope covers the engineering of the feedstock, storage, condensation and distillation areas, utilities and hot oil unit. It also includes the cost estimate for the project.
“Circularity in the chemical industry will be key if producers want to retain their license to operate in the coming years and decades,” said Geert Reyniers, Senior Director Process and Technology. “Our work today means we can help customers, like Trinseo, to implement first-of-a-kind technologies so they can realize their sustainability objectives.”
“Trinseo chose Worley to move forward with because of its recognized leadership in the industry,” said Francesca Reverberi, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Trinseo. “Worley’s strong commitment to sustainability is critical for us as we continue our journey and goal of delivering sustainable material solutions while maintaining high quality and performance.”
Plant construction is planned to begin at the end of 2022.