TotalEnergies produces first batch of chemically recycled plastic at Texas plant

TotalEnergies has produced chemically recycled plastics for the first time in the United States at its polypropylene plant in La Porte, Texas, the company has announced.

The feedstock was provided by New Hope Energy's chemical recycling facility in Tyler, Texas. It uses a patented pyrolysis technology developed in partnership with Lummus Technology to process and convert mixed plastic waste. New Hope’s location in Tyler has been operational since 2018 and will inform the company as it expands to create a much larger location along the Texas Gulf Coast. TotalEnergies signed a feedstock agreement with New Hope for 100,000 tonnes of recycled plastics sent through the new facility each year.

New Hope’s feedstock was then converted into monomers at BASF’s and TotalEnergies’ Petrochemicals (BTP) facility in Port Arthur, Texas. The facility operates one of the largest steam crackers in the world, turning naphtha and light hydrocarbons into ethylene, propylene, and other chemical raw materials. A fire caused it to close during a period of time in September last year.

TotalEnergies said its La Porte plant will produce ISCC+ certified polymers for a wide range of applications, include food grade packaging.

"After Europe, this first production of circular polymers from chemical recycling in the United States is a new step forward in our commitment to meeting the global market's growing demand for more innovative and sustainable plastics, as well as in our ambition to produce one million tons of circular polymers a year by 2030," said Heather Tomas, vice president polymers Americas at TotalEnergies.