BlueAlp plans Italy’s first industrial-scale pyrolysis facility 

15 May 2024 --- BlueAlp, a Netherlands-based advanced recycling technology company, has signed an agreement with Recupero Etico Sostenibile (RES), a waste management specialist, to build Italy’s first industrial-scale advanced recycling facility.

BlueAlp will supply a technology license and will engineer, procure and fabricate the unit in its workshop in Eindhoven. RES will own and operate the plant to process and convert 20kt of mixed plastic waste annually. The plant will be located in Pettoranello del Molise in Italy and is planned to be operational by mid-2026.  

The industrial plant, based on BlueAlp’s patented pyrolysis technology, is the first in Italy in terms of size and production capacity, according to the partnership, and will be constructed next to RES’ existing mechanical recycling facilities. The plant will process waste that cannot be recycled mechanically, such as polyolefin film fractions. 

“We are thrilled to partner with RES, as this marks a significant step toward making plastics truly circular. It is key that waste managers invest in plants and technology, giving another life to plastic waste that currently cannot be mechanically recycled,” says Valentijn de Neve, CEO of BlueAlp. 

“We are very proud to work with RES as they pioneer the materials transition, which perfectly aligns with BlueAlp’s ambition to accelerate plastic recycling. We aim to empower customers worldwide to embark on projects to recycle the plastics that are currently landfilled or incinerated.”

Taking pyrolysis global 
The plant will transfer waste plastics back to their original form as pyrolysis oil. The oil can be used to replace raw materials in the virgin plastics value chain and chemical and petrochemical industries. 

The companies say this offers a response to the large demand for high-quality recycled content solutions, such as from FMCG players with ambitions to make plastic food packaging circular. 

“We are very proud to announce the signing of the agreement with BlueAlp that will lead to the construction of a new pyrolysis plant, the first in Italy in terms of size and investment,” says Antonio Lucio Valerio, CEO of RES. 

“In line with the information and time schedule declared in the IPO, RES will be the first national operator able to close the waste cycle, from the initial collection to the sale of the raw material resulting from the plastics processing. All of this in a defined area, respecting the surrounding environment, demonstrating the potential that waste can have when innovation marries commitment to reducing oil dependency and promoting the responsible use of resources.”

The collaboration says the plant is the first phase of a planned global expansion. 

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton