An Irish fuel company based in Tipperary has agreed to supply Shell with a type of bio-oil called pyrolysis created from plastic waste which can be used to make various products.
Trifol Resources’s patented process creates 50 per cent wax and 50 per cent oil from plastic waste, a spokesman for the company said. These byproducts can be used to make products such as chemical feedstock, fuel, diesel and make-up.
People in Ireland generate 58 kilograms of plastic waste per person every year, a Trifol spokesman said. Its plant based in the old Bord na Móna briquette factory in Lanespark, Co Tipperary commenced full-scale production in June and it has plans to build 14 more facilities over the next two years.
Trifol is looking at expanding into eight other markets in the European Union and a spokesman said there was strong interest from Germany as well as the United Arab Emirates. “Trifol is on track to have two plants producing 190,000 tonnes by 2030, one in Ireland and one in either the UK or Germany.”
The European Union has set a target to reduce waste by 60 per cent by 2030, according to the Waste Framework Directive. The Irish 0 project is supported by the European Commission and the State’s climate action fund.
“This is [the] first major project for Trifol in Europe, producing sustainable fuel and circular chemical feedstock from waste plastic,” said Pat Alley chairman of Trifol Resources.
“We are delighted that our first customer is Shell Chemicals Europe, a subsidiary of Shell plc, a global company committed to providing low-carbon and circular solutions.”
The partnership between the companies aims to encourage recycling while reducing dependency on landfill.
The process removes waste plastic from the environment while supporting a circular economy said Dr Ruben Rodriguez chief executive of Trifol Resources.
The company was established in November 2014. In July 2019, it raised €300,000 in 24 hours through crowdfunding.
- Sign up for Business push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our Inside Business podcast is published weekly – Find the latest episode here
