BioBTX wins €20.8m EU grant for PETRA circular aromatics plant
- EU Innovation Fund awarded a €20.8 million grant under the IF24 Net‑Zero Technologies mid‑scale call.
- PETRA will process ~20,000 tonnes/year of mixed plastic waste and produce ~10,000 tonnes/year of renewable aromatic oil (benzene, toluene, xylenes).
- BioBTX reached Final Investment Decision in July 2026 and will build PETRA at Chemie Park Delfzijl.
- The project is expected to avoid more than 517,000 tonnes CO2‑equivalent over its first ten years, a 72% reduction versus fossil‑based aromatics production and incineration (Innovation Fund methodology).
EU funding
BioBTX signed a grant agreement with CINEA securing €20.8 million from the EU Innovation Fund (IF24 Net‑Zero Technologies mid‑scale call) to support construction of the PETRA plant at Chemie Park Delfzijl. The grant follows BioBTX’s positive Final Investment Decision for PETRA in July 2026.
Plant and technology
PETRA is presented as the world’s first commercial‑scale plant to convert mixed plastic waste directly into renewable aromatics using BioBTX’s in‑house ICCP (Integrated Catalytic Cracking Process) technology. The facility will process approximately 20,000 tonnes per year of mixed plastic waste that cannot be mechanically recycled and produce around 10,000 tonnes per year of aromatic oil rich in benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX), which are drop‑in substitutes for fossil‑derived aromatics.
Climate, jobs and replication
Using the Innovation Fund methodology, PETRA is expected to avoid more than 517,000 tonnes CO2‑equivalent over its first ten years, amounting to a 72% greenhouse‑gas emissions avoidance compared with fossil aromatics production combined with incineration of the feedstock. The project will create about 35 direct jobs on site, generate work for regional suppliers, and serve as a first‑of‑a‑kind reference to enable replication across Europe while contributing to EU policy objectives on sustainable chemistry.
Source: BioBTX