US recycler Freepoint Eco-Systems (Stamford, Connecticut; www.freepointecosystems.com) has announced plans to build a third pyrolysis plant – the first in Europe – in Kluizendok on the Belgian part of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal. The plant will be located around half-way between Ghent and Terneuzen on the site of North Sea Port (Terneuzen, Netherlands; www.northseaport.com).

At the location, subsidiary company Freepoint Eco-Systems Belgium intends to start building in 2025, provided it has all the permits by then. Initially, a capacity of 80,000 t of plastics waste a year as starting material is targeted, with a possible doubling of the capacity later. 

Up until the start-up, Jacco de Haas, who was appointed European sales manager at the beginning of May, is to examine the potential sales opportunities. Most recently, de Haas was managing director and head of sales at Interzero Plastics Recycling. After holding positions at ICI, Croda, and OQ Chemicals, he has several decades of experience in the chemical industry. 

Should the project come to fruition, it would be the first plant to be built in Europe. In the US, the plans are somewhat further on – following the line in Hebron, Ohio, which could be started up before the end of this year, a second is due to go on stream in 2026 in Eloy, Arizona. The plant there will, with initially 90,000 t of processed plastics waste a year, be somewhat larger than its Belgian counterpart. The capacity for pyrolysis oil is put at 65,000 t/y. Here, too, there are already plans to double this. 

The Eloy plant would benefit from its nearness to Phoenix, the capital of the federal state. The exclusive customer for the produced pyrolysis oil, says managing director Oscar Gutierrez, will be Dow Chemical (Midland, Michigan; www.dow.com). The plastics group then plans to use the quantity made available by Freepoint Eco-Systems Eloy Recycling to feed into a cracker.