Dutch BioBTX Receives €20.8 Million EU Funding to Build Waste Plastics-to-Aromatics Plant

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 15, Dutch circular chemicals company BioBTX announced that it has signed a funding agreement with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), securing a €20.8 million grant from the EU Innovation Fund for the construction of the PETRA waste plastics-to-aromatics plant at the Delfzijl chemical park in the Netherlands. The project is designed to process approximately 20,000 tonnes per year of mixed waste plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically, producing approximately 10,000 tonnes of renewable aromatic oil. The project reached a final investment decision in July 2026, and this signing finalizes the EU Innovation Fund's financial support for the plant's construction.

The grant comes from the EU Innovation Fund's 2024 Net-Zero Technologies medium-scale project call (IF24 Net-Zero Technologies). PETRA will be the first industrial-scale application of BioBTX's proprietary Integrated Catalytic Cracking Process (ICCP), converting mixed waste plastics into renewable aromatic oil rich in benzene, toluene, and xylene. The aromatic feedstock produced by the plant can enter existing chemical industry value chains for use in the manufacture of plastics, coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and high-performance materials.

The PETRA process consists of two main stages: thermal cracking and catalytic conversion. Mixed waste plastics are first thermally cracked under oxygen-free conditions, and the resulting gas-phase products then enter a catalytic reaction system where they are converted into aromatic oil. The reaction conditions of the two stages can be adjusted independently to handle mixed plastic feedstocks with complex compositions and contamination. The project adopts thermal cracking technology provided by BlueAlp, integrated with BioBTX's catalytic conversion process, and the relevant process equipment has entered the manufacturing stage.

According to the EU Innovation Fund's accounting methodology, the PETRA project is expected to avoid cumulative emissions of more than 517,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in the first 10 years after commissioning, with a projected greenhouse gas reduction of 72% compared to the reference scenario of conventional fossil-based aromatics production and waste plastic incineration. The project is expected to create approximately 35 direct jobs at the Delfzijl chemical park.

In 2024, BioBTX raised more than €80 million for its first commercial-scale production facility, of which Invest-NL, Infinity Recycling, Covestro, and existing shareholders provided approximately €42 million in equity investment, with the remaining funding including debt financing, Dutch government subsidies, and financial support from the Province of Groningen. The project subsequently completed its investment decision and confirmed key equipment suppliers and engineering partners. According to the previously announced implementation timeline, on-site construction is planned to begin in early 2027, with operations commencing in mid-2028.