LyondellBasell: Pyrolysis reactors installed for MoReTec plant in Wesseling

A hand wearing a black glove holds a small glass containing a brown liquid in front of an industrial plant bearing the lettering ‘MoReTec’

According to Euwid, LyondellBasell’s chemical recycling plant is due to be completed in the summer of 2027, with production scheduled to start at the end of 2027.
 
At the end of August 2026, the two pyrolysis reactors, which form the technological heart of the plant, were installed on the factory site in Wesseling near Cologne, the company announced on LinkedIn. According to the information provided, the reactors utilise the MoReTec technology developed by LyondellBasell, in which plastic waste that is difficult to recycle mechanically is broken down into smaller molecules using a proprietary catalyst. The process produces pyrolysis oil and gas, which can be used in crackers as a substitute for fossil fuels to produce new monomers such as ethylene and propylene, and subsequently used to manufacture plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene of virgin-grade quality. According to the information provided, the intended applications also include flexible food packaging. According to LYB, the plant in Wesseling is designed for a processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year, which corresponds roughly to the amount of plastic packaging waste generated annually by more than 1.2 million people in Germany.
 
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