March 23, 2026 15:39
A chemical recycling plant for plastic waste using Plastic Energy’s TAC process has started up at TotalEnergies’ Grandpuits complex in France.
The synthetic oil produced there will be treated as petrochemical feedstock, replacing fossil sources, for the production of plastics with the same quality as virgin grades and compatible with the strictest requirements for food contact and medical applications.
Named TEPEAR (TotalEnergies Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling), the unit has a processing capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year of plastic waste that is difficult to handle through mechanical recycling.
Plastic Energy’s TAC (Thermal Anaerobic Conversion) process thermochemically converts mixed plastic waste, in the absence of oxygen, into a synthetic oil — marketed under the Tacoil brand — that can be used as feedstock to produce new plastics.
Three years ago, TotalEnergies signed an agreement with two French partners, Citeo and Paprec, to secure a long-term supply of plastic waste for the plant.
“The start-up of the first advanced plastics recycling plant in France is an important milestone in the conversion of our Grandpuits site into a zero-crude complex,” said Valérie Goff, Senior Vice President, Renewables, Fuels & Chemicals at TotalEnergies. “Alongside Plastic Energy and our partners Citeo and Paprec, we are supporting the emergence of a new French plastic recycling activity.”
A plant using the same technology started up last summer in Geleen, the Netherlands, through the joint venture Sabic Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling (SPEAR), with a nominal capacity of 20,000 tonnes per year of plastic waste (read article).
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