By Matthew Sims
Feedback is now open on an application for a development license from Advanced Recycling Victoria [ARV] to establish a plastic resource recovery plant in Altona to convert end-of-life plastics into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products.
According to the application for a development license, ARV will be leasing land at the Dow Chemical site at 541-583 Kororoit Creek Road in Altona.
At a cost of $54 million, the proposed infrastructure will include a plastic preparation shed, a hydrothermal treatment plant, tanks to store the generated products and an area for storing containers containing plastics.
The proposed plant will process approximately 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life plastic feedstock per year.
Also known as chemical recycling, advanced recycling helps to close the loop on plastics which currently go to landfill.
The Hydrothermal Liquefaction technology uses high-pressure and hot water to economically transform plastic waste into a safe, stable and sustainable oil.
The process can be used to recycle polystyrene materials, low-density plastics such as cling film and rubbish bags, high-density plastics such as detergent bottles and general plastics such as water bottles.
Effectively, the very hot, dense water (also known as supercritical water) breaks down the long chemical chains in the plastic to more simple chemicals, forming an oil similar to refined fossil oil.
The liquid products can be used as feedstock for manufacturing products in the plastic, chemical refining, and asphalt industries.
The gaseous product can be used as a fuel.
According to the application for a development licence, product storage tanks will be installed on site which exceed 10,000 litres in capacity and the proposed facility will have the capacity to store more than a megalitre of oil products.
The application also details the process will be carried out within industrial sheds, with the applicant experiencing no odour when visiting similar sites.
Feedback on the application for a development license closes on Wednesday, September 21.
Details: engage.vic.gov.au/advanced-recycling-victoria
