In a landmark achievement for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, energy giants TotalEnergies, Aramco and SABIC have successfully processed oil from plastic waste at scale to make circular polymers certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). This marks the first time such an advanced recycling process has been successfully implemented in the region.
The procedure involved converting plastic waste-derived oil, also known as plastic pyrolysis oil (PDO), into circular polymers. The processing took place at the SATORP refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, a facility jointly owned by Aramco and TotalEnergies. Following the refining process, the PDO was utilised as feedstock by Petrokemya, a SABIC affiliate, to produce the circular polymers.
The project aims to create a domestic value chain for the advanced recycling of plastics to circular polymers in Saudi Arabia. It uniquely allows the use of non-sorted plastics, which are typically challenging to recycle using conventional methods. This initiative significantly contributes to tackling the problem of end-of-life plastics.
A key milestone for the project was the acquisition of ISCC+ certification, ensuring transparency and traceability of the recycled origin of feedstock and products. This certification was granted to three industrial plants involved in the process – the SATORP refinery, Aramco’s Ju’aymah NGL Fractionation Plant, and Petrokemya.
In a comment, Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, Aramco’s President of Downstream, emphasized the crucial role of the petrochemical sector in developing sustainable products and solutions. He said, “Our aim is to create circular solutions for plastic waste, while also making progress on our ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions across our wholly-owned operated assets by 2050.”
Bernard Pinatel, President, Refining & Chemicals, TotalEnergies, echoed similar sentiments, stating that the initiative reflects TotalEnergies’ commitment to addressing the challenge of end-of-life plastics. Pinatel added, “It is a major pathway towards TotalEnergies’ target to produce 30% of circular polymers by 2030, and its strategy to build a multi-energy company with the ambition to get to net zero by 2050, together with society.”
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SABIC’s EVP Petrochemicals (A), Sami Al-Osaimi, noted that the project aligns with the company’s commitment to avoid landfill and incineration through advanced technology and innovative competencies. “This project shows collaboration across the petrochemical value chain to overcome upstream and downstream challenges in circular plastics,” he said.
Both SABIC and TotalEnergies are founding members of the non-profit Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), which aims to leverage collective expertise and resources to address current waste management challenges.
