June 22, 2026 12:52
Belgian company SynPet Technologies has secured the environmental and construction permit for a new chemical recycling plant in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges area.
The plant will have a treatment capacity of up to 250,000 tonnes a year of mixed plastic waste that is difficult to recycle mechanically and is currently destined for landfill or incineration.
The overall investment is estimated at around €300 million.
SynPet will use its proprietary Thermal Conversion Process (TCP), which has already been tested in a demonstration plant. The technology uses high-pressure, high-temperature water, combined with multi-stage thermal cracking, to break down the polymer chains in mixed plastic waste. According to the Belgian company, the process is more efficient and cost-effective than conventional technologies. Part of the energy required to operate the plant can also be recovered from the process streams themselves.
Once treatment is complete, the plant will be able to produce up to 100,000 tonnes a year of circular naphtha substitute, or CNS, for the petrochemical industry, including the production of new plastics.
“This permit is an important validation of the work our team has carried out over many years,” says Ilyas Cem Ozsuer, CEO of SynPet Technologies. “Developing a first-of-a-kind industrial project requires persistence, long-term commitment and the willingness to overcome technical, regulatory and financing challenges. Today, we are one step closer to demonstrating that advanced recycling can play a meaningful role in the future of circular plastics.”
“Receiving this permit allows us to transition from development into execution,” adds Furkan Ahmet Callialp, COO of the company. “Over the past years, we have worked closely with technology partners, engineering teams, regulators and industry stakeholders to establish a project capable of operating at industrial scale. Antwerp offers a unique combination of logistics infrastructure, feedstock accessibility and integration with Europe’s largest petrochemical cluster. We are now focused on advancing the project towards final investment decisions and delivering one of Europe’s largest advanced recycling facilities.”
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