Norway-headed plastics-to-fuel technology developers Quantafuel AS has begun construction of its full-scale commercial plant for converting plastic waste into synthetic fuel at GreenLab Skive industrial park just north of Skive, Denmark."This will be the first plant of its kind in Europe, and it will be Quantafuel’s reference plant," said Rasmus Hvid Kærsgaard, newly appointed Plant Director of Quantafuel Skive.
plastic waste into synthetic fuel at GreenLab Skive industrial park just north of Skive, Denmark.
The DKK 100 million investment (≈ EUR 13.5 million) will have the capacity to produce around
15 million litres of synthetic diesel per annum (photo courtesy GreenLab Skive).
Making synthetic fuel from plastic waste is a greener type of production than normal diesel refining, and the Quantafuel plant at GreenLab Skive will be able to reduce carbon emissions from production by up to 66 percent, compared with conventional diesel production. There is also an additional environmental advantage in using waste plastics that would otherwise go to landfill or used as fuel in a waste-to-energy facility.
This facility uses a radically new pyrolytic method that enables us to convert one metric tonne of plastic waste into roughly 800 litres of synthetic fuel, said Rasmus Hvid Kærsgaard, newly appointed Plant Director of Quantafuel Skive.
At the same time, Quantafuel has signed a long-term agreement with Vitol S.A., a global player that is going to buy the synthetic fuel for admixture to diesel and petrol.
We’re incredibly happy to have this location at GreenLab Skive. Here, we can benefit from the various surplus streams in the area, while other companies can utilise our surplus resources. That means a lot to us since in our work we’re thoroughly committed to the green transition, said Rasmus Hvid Kærsgaard.
The contractor in charge of building the new plant is the Danish firm Ginnerup A/S, also based in Skive, who expects construction to be completed in autumn 2018. This will be followed by a test and start-up phase before actual production begins.
Speaking on behalf of GreenLab Skive, Executive Director Steen Harding Hintze of Energifonden Skive is glad to see construction underway.
We’ve been anticipating this day, and we look forward to seeing the plant all completed. Quantafuel is yet another example of a company that finds setting up here at GreenLab Skive [in North Jutland] attractive – not least because of the industrial symbiosis our business park can offer, said Steen Harding Hintze.
The plant now under construction at GreenLab Skive will have the capacity to process 60 tonnes of plastic waste per day, annually amounting to some 15 million litres of high-quality fuel. The total planned investment of DKK 100 million (≈ EUR 13.5 million) and is expected to bring about 20 new, permanent jobs with it.
