Vitol’s WPU to build 80,000-tonne chemical recycling plant in Rotterdam, scaling pyrolysis technology

NETHERLANDS – Waste Plastic Upcycling has announced plans to build an 80,000-tonne-per-year chemical recycling facility at the Port of Rotterdam, increasing its total capacity to 100,000 metric tons annually as one of Europe’s largest end-of-life plastics plants.

The facility will be constructed adjacent to Vitol’s existing VPR refinery and will use WPU’s proprietary batch pyrolysis technology to convert post-consumer plastic waste into pyrolysis oil.

This oil serves as a circular feedstock for producing “circular chemicals, intermediates and new plastics, targeting a lower carbon intensity than fossil naphtha,” according to the company.

From Danish Success to Dutch Scale

WPU’s pyrolysis technology has already been successfully deployed at its plant in Farevejle, Denmark, which has a recycling capacity of 20,000 metric tons per year and is currently operating close to full capacity.

The company is among the first to deploy plastics pyrolysis at commercial scale for end-of-life plastic, making this expansion a significant step in scaling the technology for the broader European market.

Jeffrey van Geloof, CEO of WPU, explained that the project would mark an important milestone in the company’s growth, building on operating experience gained in Denmark to significantly expand recycling capacity and scale the technology for Europe.

Cutting Emissions While Scaling Up

The plant will incorporate state-of-the-art furnace technology designed to reduce emissions and lower energy use.

Similar technology already deployed at Vitol’s Rotterdam refinery has achieved a 50 percent reduction in NOx emissions, an 80 percent reduction in SO2 emissions, and a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption, making VPR one of the most energy-efficient refineries in Europe.

Tom Baker, Vitol’s global head of naphtha, expressed excitement about taking this significant step toward a scalable circular economy in plastics.

He noted that projects such as this will help tackle the plastic waste problem, expand alternative raw material availability for the petrochemical sector, and lower the overall carbon intensity of manufacturing plastic.

The Bottom Line

For the recycling and packaging industries, WPU’s Rotterdam project demonstrates that chemical recycling is moving from pilot scale to industrial deployment.

The 80,000-tonne capacity positions WPU as a major supplier of circular feedstocks to European petrochemical customers.

As demand for recycled content in packaging tightens under European regulations, projects like this provide the supply-side answer to mandatory recycled content targets.

The project remains subject to regulatory approvals, with stakeholder consultation planned as part of the process.

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