French oil and energy giant TotalEnergies (Paris; www.totalenergies.com) recently inaugurated the expansion of production capacity at recycling affiliate Synova, the Normandy-based French leader in recycled polypropylene output.

The expansion, which involves the installation of two new production lines, is said to have enabled Synova to double its capacity to nearly 45,000 t/y of mechanically recycled polypropylene, including one product line for glass fibre-reinforced materials. The capacity expansion comes amidst demand for sustainable polymers from customers such as original equipment makers from the car industry.

TotalEnergies acquired Synova in 2019, and the investment in the subsidiary is expected to help the parent company meet its goal of producing 30% recycled and renewable polymers by 2030 through all types of reclaim processes, such as mechanical and chemical.

In chemical recycling, TotalEnergies announced in September 2020 the construction of France’s first chemical recycling plant on its Grandpuits zero-crude platform (see Plasteurope.com of 30.09.2020). The plant transforms plastics waste into pyrolysis oil called „Tacoil", which is to be used as feedstock in steam crackers to produce polymers with properties identical to virgin resin.