Viva Energy has processed more than 9.5 tonnes of plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO) marking a significant step in its efforts to recycle soft plastics into new food-grade materials.
The trial, at its Geelong Refinery, demonstrated the facility’s ability to handle large volumes of PPO, a synthetic oil derived from discarded soft plastics. This development supports Viva Energy’s plan to jointly build a plastic recycling facility with Cleanaway, Australia’s largest waste management company.
Bill Patterson, Viva Energy’s Executive General Manager – Refining, said over many decades the Geelong Refinery has played an important role in making fuels and other products which are essential to the Australian way of life.
“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 to address Australia’s discarded plastic issue.”
The PPO used in the trial was made from end-of-life plastic by U.S.-based company Alterra and imported with federal government approval. The test aimed to assess the refinery’s ability to process the material at scale and to determine whether contaminants like chlorides and metals would affect product quality or infrastructure.
Valerio Coppini, Chief Commercial Officer at Alterra, said the Alterra technology has proven the ability to add value to end-of-life, post-consumer plastics by successfully converting them into feedstock for chemicals and new plastic production.
“Following the successful trial at the Geelong Refinery we are looking forward to growing together with Viva Energy and Cleanaway in Australia to divert discarded plastics from landfill, displace virgin, fossil-derived material, and reduce GHG emissions.”
Viva Energy and Cleanaway are continuing a full feasibility study, with the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase expected to begin once details of the federal government’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging reforms are finalised.
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