Turning Plastic Waste into Circular Polymers

TotalEnergies has successfully converted plastic waste feedstocks into circular polymers for the first time in the United States at its polypropylene facility in La Porte, Texas. This plant, among the world's largest polypropylene facilities, will produce sustainably certified polymers suitable for various applications, including food-grade packaging. The petrochemical feedstock was sourced from New Hope Energy's ISCC+ certified advanced recycling facility in Tyler, Texas. This feedstock was converted to monomers at the BASF TotalEnergies Petrochemicals (BTP) facility in Port Arthur, Texas, a joint venture between BASF and TotalEnergies, before being transformed into circular polymers at TotalEnergies' polypropylene facility in La Porte, Texas. Both the La Porte and BTP facilities received their ISCC+ certifications in 2022. TotalEnergies and New Hope Energy have strengthened their collaboration with a multi-year agreement in which New Hope Energy will supply petrochemical feedstock derived from plastics to TotalEnergies for recycled polymer production. New Hope Energy uses a proprietary pyrolysis technology developed jointly with Lummus Technology to process and convert mixed plastic waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or be incinerated. Heather Tomas, Vice President of Polymers, stated: "This milestone, marking the first circular polymer production from advanced recycling in the United States following Europe, underscores our commitment to meeting growing global demand for innovative and sustainable plastics. This also aligns with our goal to produce one million tonnes of circular polymers annually by 2030." Rusty Combs, Chief Executive Officer of New Hope Energy, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with TotalEnergies in our joint efforts to revolutionize plastics for a cleaner environment. "This supply agreement represents an important step toward New Hope's goal of establishing pyrolysis projects at scale that will significantly improve the nation's plastic recycling performance. We are grateful for TotalEnergies' confidence in both our team and our robust technology." Source