US renewable energy development company Brightmark (San Francisco, California; www.brightmark.com) has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK oil giant BP (London; www.bp.com) to jointly evaluate opportunities to develop next generation plastics waste renewal plants in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

The companies are evaluating projects to convert end-of-life plastics waste into valuable feedstocks for polymers and other industrial applications. Each prospective renewal plant could divert up to 400,000 t/y of plastics waste into ultra-low-sulphur diesel fuel, naphtha blend stocks and wax. Mixed plastics refuse such as film, flexible packaging, styrofoam, beverage cups, car seats and toys are not currently recyclable using conventional mechanical processes and are typically incinerated, landfilled or exported.

Related: BP’s German chemical recycling plant is under consideration

These mixed waste materials would be the feedstock converted into fuel using Brightmark’s recycling technology together with BP’s knowledge and trading experience in refining and petrochemical markets. Brightmark also said that BP is the offtaker for the company’s domestic plastics renewal plant in Ashley, Indiana, which diverts 100,000 t of polymer waste annually and was scheduled to become operational by the end of this year (see Plasteurope.com of 14.06.2021). The facility obtained certification through the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC Plus) in December.

Brightmark also announced that it will build what it claims would be the world’s largest advanced plastics recycling and renewal facility in Macon-Bibb County, Georgia / USA, designed to convert 400,000 t/y of mixed plastics waste into fuel. BP and petrochemical firm Chevron Phillips Chemical (The Woodlands, Texas; www.cpchem.com) are partners in the project, according to sources.

Environmental groups recently voiced scepticism about the Georgia facility, during a public forum discussing the issuance of USD 500m (EUR 443m) in industrial revenue bonds. According to Amy Sharma, vice-president at non-profit organisation, Science for Georgia (www.scienceforgeorgia.org), “Of the 37 chemical recycling facilities proposed since the early 2000s, only three are currently operational and none of them are known to have successfully recovered plastic or created new plastic. None of these existing plants are owned by Brightmark,” she said.

Jessica Wahl, with the Environment Georgia Research and Policy Center (www.environmentgeorgia.org), says the plastics-to-fuel conversion (pyrolysis) process often contains carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting additives and forms new toxic chemicals including benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and dioxins. Environmental and health-impact studies of such a facility on public health, safety and the environment are being sought.