Chemical Industry News, Data & Insights

Borealis Advances EU Project ELECTRO for Recycling Hard-to-Recycle Plastics

Key highlights
  • Project ELECTRO aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% using renewable electricity.
  • The project focuses on converting mixed and hard-to-recycle plastics into high-purity olefins like ethylene and propylene.
  • Borealis leads efforts in optimizing circular feedstocks for efficient steam cracking.
  • Household plastics from Project STOP in Indonesia are used to test chemical recycling viability.

Project ELECTRO Overview

Project ELECTRO is an EU-funded initiative focused on developing electrified chemical recycling technologies to transform mixed and hard-to-recycle plastics into high-value olefins such as ethylene and propylene. The project aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable electricity, aligning with the EU's circularity and decarbonization goals.

Borealis' Role

Borealis plays a crucial role in Project ELECTRO by leading efforts to enable circular feedstocks for efficient steam cracking. The company is involved in evaluating full-range pyrolysis oil, optimizing circular hydrocarbon mixtures, and developing cracking strategies tailored to diverse pyrolysis oil qualities. These efforts are aimed at improving process performance and scalability.

Real-World Testing

Project ELECTRO is linked with Project STOP, an internationally recognized waste management initiative co-founded by Borealis. This connection allows the consortium to test breakthrough recycling technologies using real-world waste streams collected in Indonesia. The collaboration ensures that innovations are practical and deliver measurable environmental benefits.