Shell acquires 21.25% stake in raw material recycler BlueAlp

Shell Ventures BV and BlueAlp Holding BV have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly develop, scale and deploy BlueAlp's plastic waste chemical feedstock technology
.
The technology converts mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which is then added as a feedstock to a steam cracker for further refining
.

Under the agreement, Shell will acquire a 21.
25% stake in BlueAlp
.
In addition, the two companies will form a joint venture to build two new conversion units in the Netherlands, which are expected to convert more than 30,000 tons of plastic waste per year
.

Robin Mooldijk, Executive Vice President, Shell Chemicals and Products, said: "This partnership is one of the important steps Shell is taking towards its goal of recycling 1 million tonnes of plastic waste per year in its global factories by 2025.

"

"We are also working across the value chain to provide our customers with a safe supply of high-quality circular products
.
"

The collaboration with BlueAlp follows a successful pilot using pyrolysis oil at the Moerdijk petrochemical plant in August 2021
.
Shell has been using recycled feedstock at its Norco petrochemical plant in the US since November 2019
.

The planned unit is scheduled to be commissioned in 2023 and will supply 100% of the pyrolysis oil as feedstock to Shell's Moerdijk and Rhineland crackers
.
Shell is exploring the possibility of deploying two other units in Asia to supply the Shell Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park
.

"BlueAlp's goal is to efficiently convert plastic waste into usable and economical products, and we have developed an exciting and innovative technology
.
With Shell as a strategic partner, I believe BlueAlp has a great opportunity to grow into a leader in the pyrolysis market.
A global leader,
" said Chris van der Ree, CTO of BlueAlp
.

BlueAlp's technology has grown to a commercial scale
.
Shell's technology team in Amsterdam will now work with BlueAlp to further improve and expand the technology's capabilities to recycle larger volumes of plastic waste
.

One challenge in producing large quantities of pyrolysis oil is the inconsistent purity of the feedstock
.
Shell plans to deploy its own technology to improve the purity of pyrolysis oil in its assets
.
The development of these technologies is critical to enabling the cycle by converting hard-to-recycle plastic waste into sustainable chemicals
.