An Irish fuel company based in Tipperary has agreed with Shell to supply 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 Trifol said., These byproducts can be used to make products such as chemical feedstock, fuel, diesel and make-up.
People in Ireland generate 58kg of plastic waste per person each year, a Trifol spokesman said. The plant based in the old Bord na Móna briquette factory in Lanespark, Co Tipperary commenced full-scale production in June with 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 there is strong interest from Germany as well as the United Arab Emirates, the spokesman said. “Trifol are on track to have two plants producing 190,000 tons by 2030. One in Ireland and one in either UK or Germany.”
Oasis reunion highlights the total collapse of the full-time music press
As mortgage interest rates fall, what should you do with the spare cash: save it or overpay your mortgage?
‘I love haggling. It’s satisfying to mortify my husband, friends and kids’
Tax position on gift for carer who did not qualify for inheritance
The European Union has set a 60 per cent reduction target for waste by the year 2030, according to the Waste Framework Directive. The 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.
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 and 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