OMV and ALBA agree to build a sorting plant

The collaboration ensures that OMV is supplied with sustainable raw materials for chemical recycling in order to close the loop for plastics. A modern sorting plant developed by Alba Recycling will have the capacity to process of over 200,000 tonnes of mixed used plastics per year suitable raw materials for the production of virgin polyolefins.

This sorting process enables the further extraction of polyolefins from a waste fraction that is currently sent for incineration. This innovative sorting process was tested on an industrial scale and the product was successfully processed as a raw material in OMV's ReOil® pilot plant. 

„Used plastics have a significant impact on the environment. To reduce this impact while maintaining the usefulness of plastics, a switch to a more circular plastics system is required. Chemical recycling such as the ReOil process is the ideal complement to established mechanical recycling processes. In Alba, we see a promising cooperation partner with many years of expertise in the recycling of used plastics and with whom we would like to invest in the future. Into an innovative future that enables a more comprehensive circular economy for plastic waste.“

Maximilian Grasserbauer, OMV Vice President Plastic to Plastic

„We are delighted to be able to combine OMV's sophisticated chemical recycling with our world-leading sorting technology, thereby taking the next step towards a circular economy and a world without waste,“ says Dr Axel Schweitzer, owner of Alba Recycling. „Chemical recycling is not in competition with mechanical recycling, as mechanical recycling is the most efficient way of dealing with mono fractions from the sorting process. However, chemical recycling is the only option for mixed plastic waste such as mixed and multi-layer plastics. We also urgently need to recycle this material in order to close the loop for our customers. OMV and ALBA Recycling will turn the mixed plastic waste that is currently incinerated into an important source of raw materials in order to produce enough recycled material for the sustainable production of goods and packaging.“

More than a decade ago, OMV was one of the first companies to develop a technology for the chemical recycling of used plastics. Since 2018, the Schwechat refinery in Austria has been The ReOil pilot plant, which can process 100 kg of used plastics into 100 litres of synthetic raw materials per hour, is now in operation. The pilot plant has been running for a total of 14,500 hours since it was commissioned, enabling the thermal cracking process to be improved and the ReOil technology to be further expanded.

OMV has announced the final Investment decision in favour of an enlarged demo plant with a capacity of 16,000 tonnes per year, which is scheduled to go into operation in 2023. The aim of the OMV is the construction of an economically viable large-scale plant by 2026.

Source: Alba Recycling