Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk has announced a new factory in the Netherlands, that allows plastic that is difficult or impossible to recycle to be reused. With the so-called market development upgrader (MDU), the chemical complex can take in circular raw materials at scale.
The process consists of plastic waste being heated to about 450 degrees celsius (842 degrees Fahrenheit) until it melts and the oxygen has been completely extracted. What remains is called pyrolysis oil. The MDU purifies this oil, so that it can serve as feedstock for the cracking plant at Moerdijk. This cracker cuts and separates larger and smaller molecule chains, making the base chemicals for everyday products we all use.
Richard Zwinkels, general manager of Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk says: ‘Moerdijk is the first location within Shell to upgrade pyrolysis oil at scale. Chemical recycling supports the development of a truly circular system for plastic, similar to how societies collect and reuse empty glass bottles and wastepaper.’
