Page 16 - Logistics News July 2019

Environment
SUEZ JV closing
the loop on plastics
Dutch plastics and chemicals fi rm LyondellBasell has teamed up with SUEZ to develop a
facility to produce a variety of virgin quality recycled polymers.
WITH MORE stringent recycling targets on the
way in the EU, it’s become increasingly important
to improve the 25 percent recycling rate for
plastics. To help address the issue, LyondellBasell
has teamed up with SUEZ to develop a facility
to produce a variety of virgin quality recycled
polymers.
Formed in 2014, Quality Circular Polymers
(QCP) is a 50/50 joint venture between Dutch
plastics and chemicals fi rm LyondellBasell and
French environmental services giant SUEZ.
Strategically located near Maastricht in the
Netherlands, the fi rm’s new facility is currently
ramping up production of polypropylene (PP) and
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) per year. The
company manufactures two grades of HDPE and
eight grades of PP copolymer.
The aim was to recycle 35,000 tonnes in 2018
and 50,000 tonnes by 2020. Under the terms of
the JV agreement, LyondellBasell markets QCP’s
materials and SUEZ is responsible for securing the
feedstock for the plant.
“Partnering with SUEZ allows us to contribute
to the circular economy in a way that no plastics
company has before,” explains LyondellBasell
CEO Bob Patel. “For several years, we have
14
Courtesy Waste Management World
seen increased demand for recycled and reused
plastics, especially in Europe. With QCP, we have
combined our respective expertise with SUEZ to
create an innovative system that can be scaled as
the circular economy grows.”
SUEZ CEO Jean-Louis Chaussade adds that
plastics recycling is also a key market for SUEZ,
which operates nine dedicated facilities in Europe.
In 2017, SUEZ processed 400,000 tonnes of
plastic waste and produced 150,000 tonnes of
new plastic resources. The company has set an
objective of increasing its processing capacity by
50 percent to 600,000 tonnes in 2020.
“The circular economy will increasingly
develop into a critical part of the plastic value
chain. Moving forward, we will bear in mind the
economics of operating our businesses must be
balanced with environmental awareness,” he says.
“As we move towards becoming value players in
the circular economy, we will continue to seek
opportunities for future growth.”
“In Europe, only 7 percent of the 50 Mio annual
tonnage used is recycled polymer, and 93 percent
is still virgin materials coming from fossil fuels,”
SUEZ COO Jean-Marc Boursier notes. “Together
with LyondellBasell, we aim to speed up the use of
circular polymers and industrial manufacturers to
reach their environmental targets. This partnership
represents a new step in SUEZ plastics strategy in
Europe, and it will help to reach our objective to
process 600,000 tons of plastic waste in 2020.”
To enable it to produce materials of virgin-
like quality, QCP selected three key technology
providers for the engineering and construction
phase. B+B Anlagenbau supplied all the
equipment for the preparation of the incoming
bales of post-consumer plastic waste, through
to the sorted clean fl akes. KraussMaff ei Berstorff
supplied the extruders that transform the
polymer fl akes into high quality polypropylene
and polyethylene compounds. AZO connects the
material fl ows by providing all material handling
and transport systems, enabling an automated
logistic process. •
July 2019 | Logistics News