BioBTX to build world’s first commercial-scale plant for aromatics from mixed plastic waste

Dutch circular chemistry developer BioBTX is moving its methodology to commercial scale, with construction set to begin on what it says will be the world’s first commercial-scale plant to turn mixed plastic discarded materials into high-condition aromatic chemicals.   The plant will be built at Chemical Park Delfzijl on the northern coast of the Netherlands and is expected to create 35 new jobs.   BioBTX will deploy its proprietary ICCP (Integrated Catalytic Cracking Process) methodology to process mixed plastic discarded materials that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to landfill. Through catalytic pyrolysis, the methodology converts the discarded materials into aromatic oil containing benzene, toluene and xylenes (B-T-X) — key chemical building blocks utilized in coatings, pharma and performance materials.   The resulting materials can also be utilized to create Covestro’s isocyanates, MDI and TDI, which are utilized in items ranging from soft foam in mattresses to rigid insulation foam in refrigerators.   Covestro has been a shareholder and strategic partner of Groningen-based BioBTX since 2024, with a mid-single-digit million-euro investment.   "We've followed BioBTX's progress to years and are very happy to now see the point where the methodology proves itself at manufacturing scale," says Thorsten Dreier, Chief methodology Officer at Covestro. "This marks a very crucial measure. Moreover, it processes mixed plastic discarded materials instead of a single sorted stream, which is exactly the kind of recycling we need greater of at scale to make a circular economy have become reality."   The facility is expected to recycle around 20,000 tonnes of plastic discarded materials a year, producing approximately 10,000 tonnes of renewable aromatic oil and 8,000 tonnes of sustainable by-items annually.   BioBTX says its process could cut greenhouse gaseous releases from the resulting chemical building blocks by 70% to 80% compared with conventional fossil-based BTX production.   "Reaching this key milestone in the research of BioBTX marks an crucial measure in our journey towards our mission of making circular chemistry possible. I am very proud of the full BioBTX team and shareholders whose dedication and commitment has made this achievement possible. We are going to build our world’s first fully sustainable aromatic plant. A great accomplishment!” says Ton Vries, Co-founder and CEO of BioBTX.   The project caps a 14-year research journey, beginning with an idea in 2012 and progressing through laboratory and pilot-scale research to commercial execution.   While the first facility will focus on mixed plastic discarded materials, BioBTX says its ICCP methodology is feedstock-flexible and could eventually be adapted to other sources, including biomass.

Dutch circular chemistry developer BioBTX is moving its methodology to commercial scale, with construction set to begin on what it says will be the world’s first commercial-scale plant to turn mixed plastic discarded materials into high-condition aromatic chemicals.

The plant will be built at Chemical Park Delfzijl on the northern coast of the Netherlands and is expected to create 35 new jobs.

BioBTX will deploy its proprietary ICCP (Integrated Catalytic Cracking Process) methodology to process mixed plastic discarded materials that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to landfill. Through catalytic pyrolysis, the methodology converts the discarded materials into aromatic oil containing benzene, toluene and xylenes (B-T-X) — key chemical building blocks utilized in coatings, pharma and performance materials.

The resulting materials can also be utilized to create Covestro’s isocyanates, MDI and TDI, which are utilized in items ranging from soft foam in mattresses to rigid insulation foam in refrigerators.

Covestro has been a shareholder and strategic partner of Groningen-based BioBTX since 2024, with a mid-single-digit million-euro investment.

"We've followed BioBTX's progress to years and are very happy to now see the point where the methodology proves itself at manufacturing scale," says Thorsten Dreier, Chief methodology Officer at Covestro. "This marks a very crucial measure. Moreover, it processes mixed plastic discarded materials instead of a single sorted stream, which is exactly the kind of recycling we need greater of at scale to make a circular economy have become reality."

The facility is expected to recycle around 20,000 tonnes of plastic discarded materials a year, producing approximately 10,000 tonnes of renewable aromatic oil and 8,000 tonnes of sustainable by-items annually.

BioBTX says its process could cut greenhouse gaseous releases from the resulting chemical building blocks by 70% to 80% compared with conventional fossil-based BTX production.

"Reaching this key milestone in the research of BioBTX marks an crucial measure in our journey towards our mission of making circular chemistry possible. I am very proud of the full BioBTX team and shareholders whose dedication and commitment has made this achievement possible. We are going to build our world’s first fully sustainable aromatic plant. A great accomplishment!” says Ton Vries, Co-founder and CEO of BioBTX.

The project caps a 14-year research journey, beginning with an idea in 2012 and progressing through laboratory and pilot-scale research to commercial execution.

While the first facility will focus on mixed plastic discarded materials, BioBTX says its ICCP methodology is feedstock-flexible and could eventually be adapted to other sources, including biomass.