Saudi Aramco and SABIC, and French Total Energy, have succeeded in converting oil derived from plastic waste into certified circular polymers that have the International Certificate of Sustainability and Carbon (ISCC Plus) for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa.
The oil derived from plastic waste (pyrolysis oil) was processed at the SATORP refinery jointly owned by Aramco and Total Energy in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
Then, it was used as a feedstock by Petrokemya, a subsidiary of SABIC, to produce certified circular polymers, according to joint statements obtained by the specialized energy platform.
This comes in support of Saudi Arabia’s goal of converting about 4 million barrels of liquids into chemicals by the end of the current decade (2030), ensuring that it continues as a reliable supplier of energy and chemicals.
Plastic recycling and conversion
The project aims to pave the way for the establishment of a local value chain for the advanced recycling of plastics into reusable polymers in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement issued by Aramco.
This process allows the use of unsorted plastics, which may be difficult to mechanically recycle, thereby solving the waste challenge of single-use plastics.
The project’s first achievement was obtaining the ISCC Plus certification to ensure transparency about the source of raw materials and recycled products, and traceability back to their source.
3 plants participated in the operation: the SATORP refinery, the natural gas liquids fractionation plant in Juaymah of Aramco, and Petrokemya; All of them have successfully achieved ISCC certification, enabling them to produce recycled materials.
An important achievement for the petrochemical sector
“This achievement demonstrates the importance of the petrochemical sector’s role in creating more sustainable products and solutions,” said Mohammed Yahya Al-Qahtani, Head of Refining, Chemicals and Marketing Operations at Saudi Aramco.
He added, “Our goal is to innovate plastic waste recycling solutions, in addition to advancing our ambition of achieving Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon neutrality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our wholly owned and operated business facilities by 2050.”
He indicated – in his statements, which were seen by the specialized energy platform – that Aramco aims to produce recycled products, while expanding its scope at a relatively low cost, by taking advantage of the surplus of the existing infrastructure.
For his part, Bernard Bennatel, Head of Refining and Chemicals Operations at Total Energy, said: “This advanced plastics recycling initiative reflects Total Energy’s ambition to contribute clearly to addressing the problem of expiring plastics.”
He continued, “Several other projects related to the circular economy are being studied, by benefiting from the expertise and technical knowledge of our partners, to contribute more to the recycling of plastic materials.”
He stressed that Total Energy aims to produce about 30% of recycled polymers by 2030, and its strategy depends on building a company with multiple types of energy with the aim of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
“This project is in line with SABIC’s ambition to avoid burning and landfilling waste through its innovative capabilities and advanced technologies,” said Sami Al-Osaimi, Acting Executive Vice President of Petrochemical Operations at SABIC.
This project also reflects cooperation at all stages of the petrochemical value chain to overcome the challenges facing the exploration and production sector, and the refining, chemicals and marketing sectors with regard to recycled plastics, as he described it.
Building a huge petrochemical complex
On June 24, 2023, Aramco and Total Energy announced the award of engineering, procurement and construction contracts worth $11 billion for the Admiral complex, which is a petrochemical expansion facility at the SATORP refinery in the Kingdom.
The award of engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the main processing units and associated facilities marks the beginning of construction work in the joint petrochemical expansion, after the final investment decision was taken in December 2022.
The new complex, which will be integrated with the existing SATORP refinery in Jubail, aims to house one of the largest mixed feed crackers in the Persian Gulf region, with the capacity to produce 1.65 million tons per year of ethylene and other industrial gases.
The new petrochemical facility is planned to enable the refinery to convert gases from internally produced refineries and naphtha, ethane and natural gasoline supplied by Saudi Aramco, into high-value chemicals.
This expansion is expected to attract more than $4 billion in additional investment in a variety of industrial sectors, including: carbon fiber, lubricants, drilling fluids, detergents, food additives, auto parts and tires.
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