JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA – In a significant breakthrough for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Aramco, TotalEnergies, and SABIC have successfully converted plastic waste-derived oil into certified circular polymers. This pioneering endeavor marks the first-ever achievement of its kind in the region, offering new hope for tackling the plastic waste crisis.
The plastic pyrolysis oil, also referred to as plastic waste-derived oil (PDO), was processed at the SATORP refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. SATORP is a joint venture between Aramco and TotalEnergies. Subsequently, PETROKEMYA, a subsidiary of SABIC, employed this oil as feedstock to create certified circular polymers.
This groundbreaking project aims to establish a domestic value chain for advanced plastic recycling in Saudi Arabia. Importantly, it addresses the challenge of recycling non-sorted plastics, which can be particularly problematic. The successful completion of this project takes a significant step towards resolving the issue of end-of-life plastics.
A key milestone in the project was obtaining the ISCC+ certification, which ensures the transparency and traceability of the recycled origin of feedstock and products. Three industrial facilities were pivotal in this process: the SATORP refinery, Aramco’s Ju’aymah NGL Fractionation Plant, and PETROKEMYA. All three facilities received the ISCC+ certification, making it possible to produce circular materials.
Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, Aramco’s President of Downstream, underscored the importance of this achievement in the petrochemical sector, emphasizing the need for more sustainable solutions. He stated, “Our aim is to create circular solutions for plastic waste, while also making progress on our ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions across our wholly-owned operated assets by 2050. By leveraging spare capacity of existing infrastructure, we aim to produce circular products that could be scaled up at low cost. Aramco is considering multiple ways of tapping into new technologies and leveraging existing assets to support the deployment of circular, more sustainable and lower-carbon products.”
Bernard Pinatel, President of Refining & Chemicals at TotalEnergies, highlighted the company’s commitment to addressing the plastic waste challenge. He stated, “This advanced plastic recycling initiative reflects TotalEnergies’ ambition to concretely contribute to addressing the challenge of end-of-life plastics. Several other circular economy projects are being studied, leveraging the partners’ technical expertise and experience to further contribute to plastics recycling. It is a major pathway towards TotalEnergies’ target to produce 30% of circular polymers by 2030, and its strategy to build a multi-energy company with the ambition to get to net zero by 2050 together with society.”
Sami Al-Osaimi, SABIC EVP Petrochemicals (A), emphasized the project’s alignment with SABIC’s commitment to sustainability and its role in supporting Saudi Vision 2030. He said, “This project is aligned with SABIC’s commitment to avoid landfill and incineration through its innovation competencies and advanced technology. This project shows collaboration across the petrochemical value chain to overcome upstream and downstream challenges in circular plastics. To this end, SABIC recently announced its target of one million metric tons of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions by 2030, which intends to help provide our customers with more sustainable solutions.”
Both SABIC and TotalEnergies are founding members of the non-profit organization Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), which aims to bring collective knowledge, resources, and experience to address current waste management challenges. This latest achievement further underlines their commitment to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
The successful conversion of plastic waste into certified circular polymers marks a groundbreaking step towards addressing the plastic waste problem in the MENA region. This project not only promotes the responsible use of resources but also opens up new avenues for the circular economy, paving the way for a more sustainable future in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.