LyondellBasell and Neste announce commercial-scale production of biobased PP and LDPE
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
LyondellBasell
(one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world)
and Neste (the world's largest producer of
renewable diesel from waste and residues) have jointly announced the first
parallel production of biobased polypropylene (PP) and biobased low-density
polyethylene (LDPE) at a commercial scale. This pioneering collaboration marks
a major milestone in the commercialization of Neste's renewable polymers and
chemicals business focusing on developing renewable and circular solutions for
forward-looking sustainable brands.
Press release: “LyondellBasell
and Neste announce commercial-scale production of bio-based plastic from
renewable materials”, 18/6/2019.
Related posts:
- “A partnership between IKEA and Neste will make bio-polypropylene commercial production possible”, 8/6/2018.
Related posts:
- “A partnership between IKEA and Neste will make bio-polypropylene commercial production possible”, 8/6/2018.
- “Neste starts up the world's first large-scale renewable propane production unit in its Rotterdam biorefinery”, 22/3/2018.
- “Rotterdam Biorefinery”, 19/8/2015.
- “Rotterdam Biorefinery”, 19/8/2015.
Figure 1. LyondellBasell and Neste announce
commercial-scale production of biobased PP and LDPE (taken from the press
release)
The achievement combines Neste's renewable
feedstock and LyondellBasell's technical capabilities. The joint project used
Neste's renewable hydrocarbons to successfully produce several thousand tons of
biobased plastics. LyondellBasell's cracker flexibility allowed it to introduce
the new renewable feedstock at its Wesseling site (Germany), which was
converted directly into biobased polyethylene and polypropylene. An independent
third party tested the polymer products using carbon tracers and confirmed they
contained over 30% renewable content.
The biopolymers are approved for the production of
food packaging and they are being marketed under Circulen and Circulen Plus,
the new family of LyondellBasell circular economy product brands. The company sold
some of the renewable materials produced in the trial to multiple customers,
one of which is Cofresco (a company of the Melitta Group with brands like
Toppits® and Albal®), Europe's leading supplier of branded products in the sector
of household film. Cofresco plans to use the Circulen Plus bio-based
polyethylene to create sustainable food packaging materials.