Advanced Recycling Victoria has applied for a development licence for a plastic resource recovery plant in Altona, to convert end-of-life plastics into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products.
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. The proposed plant will process about 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life plastics per year.
Proposed infrastructure includes a plastic preparation shed, a hydrothermal treatment plant. tanks to store the products generated and an area for storing containers of plastics.
The consultation period for the development licence opens on 31 August and will close on 21 September. The proposal is considered an A02a (Other waste treatment – incineration) scheduled activity requiring a development licence from EPA.
The proposal will also require a planning permit from Hobsons Bay City Council.
On its website, Advanced Recycling Victoria states the proposed facility will use Australian technology called Cat-HTR™, developed by Licella.
If approved, Licella will commence building in 2023. It is estimated the proposed facility would take about 12 months to build.
The facility will initially create 31 direct jobs, increasing to 83 for plant operation and project development, and 57 indirect jobs, increasing to 152 in the long-term across the supply chain.
ARV sees advanced recycling as a bridging solution to a lower carbon future, working within the waste hierarchy by reducing the total amount of virgin plastic used.
For more information and to make comment, visit: www.epa.vic.gov.au
Related stories:
What is hydrothermal liquefaction?
Australia’s first soft plastic food wrapper