Idemitsu Kosan Plans to Build Second Chemical Recycling Facility in Japan

On July 7, a company official revealed that Idemitsu Kosan, headquartered in Tokyo, has initiated the basic planning work for its second plastic chemical recycling facility in Japan, with potential locations in Chiba Prefecture or Aichi Prefecture; the first chemical recycling facility was put into operation in April of this year.

In April, the company announced that its No. 1 chemical recycling unit at the Chiba plant had officially begun operations, with an annual processing capacity of 20,000 tons of waste mixed plastics.

Both units use mixed waste plastics as feedstock to produce pyrolysis oil, which can be further processed and used as a petrochemical production feedstock.

The company stated that previously, this type of mixed waste plastic could mostly only be sent to landfill for disposal; with the global push to develop the circular economy, demand in the plastic chemical recycling market continues to rise.