Circular economy investments are gathering pace in the chemical sector, with companies announcing more green spending to improve their businesses sustainability. Total recently announced a more than €500 million ($584 million) investment to stop oil processing at its Grandpuits refinery in France and convert it into a “zero-crude platform” that will focus on plastic recycling, bioplastic production, biofuel production, and operations of photovoltaic solar plants.
Total’s Grandpuits refinery will discontinue crude processing in the first quarter of 2021. After the overhaul, Total will operate a 100,000 tons/year sugar-based polylactic acid (PLA) plant in the complex, in a 50/50 joint venture with Corbion. Both firms have already collaborated in a PLA plant project in Thailand. The plant will convert post-consumer plastic into pyrolysis oil called Tacoil, which will then be used to manufacture polymers with on par properties to virgin polymers.
The Grandpuits site will have a chemical recycling plant where Total and Plastic Energy holding owns a 60% and 40% stake, respectively. The site will also produce biofuel aimed at the aviation industry. The biorefinery is expected to come online in 2024, with a capacity of 400,000 tons/year, including 170,000 tons/year of renewable aviation fuel, 120,000 tons/year of biodiesel, and 50,000 tons/year of renewable naphtha.
Meanwhile, US-based chemical maker LyondellBasell in its latest sustainability report, set will convert post-consumer plastic into pyrolysis oil called Tacoil, which will then be used to manufacture polymers with on par properties to virgin polymers. The company also aims at cutting carbon dioxide emissions per ton of product in 2030 by 15% of 2015 baseline and increasing investment in plastic recovery and recycling.
