SynPet to build EUR 300 million plastics recycling plant in Antwerp

Belgium-based SynPet Technologies, a Turkish-founded company, is to construct its first commercial-scale chemical recycling plant at Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

The EUR 300 million investment marks the culmination of 13 years of research and development into handling plastic waste that current methods such as pyrolysis and gasification cannot process.

Once operational, the facility will transform 250 000 tonnes of untreated mixed plastic waste each year into high-value circular products and renewable natural gas. The company describes the initiative as a ‘brand new approach to chemical recycling’.

More viable

At the heart of SynPet’s process is its patented thermal conversion process (TCP), which converts all carbon-containing waste, including unrecyclable plastics, through a combination of water under elevated pressure and temperature and multi-stage thermal cracking. This method, the company says, is more energy-efficient and economically viable than existing mechanical or chemical recycling systems.

The company’s main output, Circular Naphtha Substitute (CNS), is a premium-grade circular naphtha substitute that can be directly blended into petrochemical feedstocks without the need for additional refining. CNS meets European steam cracker specifications and offers superior stability and consistency compared with conventional pyrolysis oils.

Part of the solution

‘Our technology proves that plastic doesn’t have to be the problem, it can be part of the solution,’ says Cem Özsüer, ceo of SynPet Technologies. ‘We’re proud to bring that vision to life in Antwerp, a city that perfectly combines innovation, sustainability and industrial strength. What was once waste becomes a valuable resource, without sorting, without loss and with a positive environmental impact.’

The Antwerp-Bruges plant will be developed in collaboration with Euroports. Scheduled to be fully operational by the second half of 2028, the site will serve as both a commercial production facility and R&D centre, reinforcing the port’s position as a hub for circular and renewable technologies in Europe.