9.5 tonnes of plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO) produced by Alterra from end-of-life plastics at its facility was processed by Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery. This was a major trial designed to demonstrate the technical compatibility of Alterra’s advanced recycled product with existing refining infrastructure. The successful trial is being labelled as a "major milestone" for plastic refining that could have industry-wide applications.
Alterra
Alterra has produced 9.5 tonnes of plastic pyrolysis oil from end-of--life plastics.
The results of the trial shows that Alterra’s technology can be used to produce high-quality PPO at a large scale, which can then be refined and repurposed using existing infrastructure already in place. Together, Alterra proves its technologies capabilities and Viva Energy strengthens their case for a permanent soft plastics recycling facility in Australia.
"The successful trial confirms that our technology can be integrated seamlessly with conventional refining systems and deliver high-purity outputs from challenging plastic waste streams," said Valerio Coppini, Chief Commercial Officer of Alterra. "We are excited to partner with Viva Energy to support them in their journey to validate the processing of soft plastics pyrolysis oil at the Geelong Refinery. We see this as an important step in bringing scalable, sustainable plastic recycling to Australia. This is about more than waste diversion—it's about redefining the lifecycle of plastic."
Alterra’s technology works by breaking down post-consumer plastics into their original chemical building blocks which can then be repurposed as new plastics and in various chemical productions. The plastic pyrolysis oil produced in the refinery at Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery is indicative of the sort of materials that might be produced in the future at a permanent soft plastics recycling and refining facility in Australia.
Bill Patterson, Executive General Manager of Refining at Viva Energy, added, "Over many decades the Geelong Refinery has played an important role in making fuels and other products which are essential to our way of life in Australia. We want to continue to do this, and this initiative is a critical step in demonstrating the various roles our facility can play in the energy transition, establishing a circular economy and helping address Australia's discarded plastic issue."
The trial has been a success for both companies as Alterra aims to expand their proprietary process further with wide-scale applications and Viva Energy continues to campaign for a long-term plastic recycling and refinery solution in Australia.