WPU Plans New Chemical Recycling Facility in Rotterdam for End-of-Life Plastics
WPU, with support from Vitol, is developing a new chemical recycling facility in Rotterdam, aiming to become one of Europe's largest. The plant will process 80,000 tonnes per year of end-of-life plastics using WPU's proprietary pyrolysis technology, converting them into pyrolysis oil for circular chemicals and new plastics with lower carbon intensity. This expansion will increase WPU’s total recycling capacity to 100,000 tpy, addressing plastic waste and advancing petrochemical decarbonization.
WPU is set to construct a major chemical recycling facility in Rotterdam, Netherlands, projected to be among Europe’s largest plants for end-of-life plastics. This new facility will boast a capacity to process 80,000 tonnes per year of post-consumer plastic, significantly increasing WPU’s total recycling capacity to 100,000 tpy. The plant will utilize WPU’s proprietary batch pyrolysis technology to convert plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, a circular feedstock vital for producing circular chemicals, intermediates, and new plastics with a lower carbon intensity than fossil naphtha.This initiative aligns with growing demand for sustainable feedstocks and European policies advocating for increased recycled content and decarbonisation within petrochemical value chains. Jeffrey van Geloof, CEO of WPU, emphasized this project as a critical growth milestone, scaling their proven technology demonstrated at their Denmark plant. Tom Baker, Vitol’s global head of naphtha, highlighted its importance in fostering a scalable circular economy in plastics, tackling waste, and providing alternative raw materials while reducing manufacturing's carbon footprint. Strategically located alongside Vitol’s Rotterdam refinery (VPR), the plant will benefit from existing industrial infrastructure. It will also integrate advanced furnace technology designed to minimize emissions and energy consumption, mirroring successful applications at VPR. The project remains subject to regulatory approvals and a thorough stakeholder consultation process.
