Carbios and De Smet Engineers Collaborate on World’s First PET Biorecycling Plant
15.02.2024 - Carbios and De Smet Engineers & Contractors jointly announced their collaboration to spearhead the construction of the world's first PET biorecycling plant.
Under the agreement, De Smet will oversee the project management and detailed engineering, including procurement assistance and Carbios partners’ management, to ensure the execution of the plant's construction in Longlaville, France, due for commissioning in 2025. Carbios’ first commercial facility will play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution by offering an industrial-scale solution for the enzymatic depolymerization of PET waste to accelerate a circular economy for plastic and textiles.
With over 70 De Smet team members dedicated to the project and working alongside Carbios teams, the collaboration aims to guarantee the project timeline and budget while upholding stringent quality, safety, health, and environmental standards. Construction is currently underway and on schedule.
"De Smet has an excellent track record in the engineering and management of complex industrial projects and has extensive experience in water-based technologies," commented Emmanuel Ladent, Chief Executive Officer of Carbios. "With our combined expertise and shared ambition, this collaboration marks a significant step towards fulfilling Carbios' vision of a sustainable future for plastic and textiles."
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Carbios and De Smet Engineers & Contractors enter engineering partnership for construction of world’s first PET biorecycling plant. © Adobe Stock
"Perfectly aligned with our ambition to contribute to the environmental transition by implementing novel biotechnology process and by boosting the bio-economy, we are proud to support CARBIOS' groundbreaking investment, thanks to our agility in project execution which ensures its timely and competitive industrial realization," said Dimitri de Suraÿ, CEO of De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC).
The plant will have a processing capacity of 50,000 tons of post-consumer PET waste per year (equivalent to 2 billion colored PET bottles, 2.5 billion PET trays, or 300 million T-shirts) and will address waste with little or no value to date such as colored PET bottles, food trays, and textiles. In October 2023, CARBIOS obtained the building and site operating permits. The plant is currently under construction in Longlaville in the Grand-Est Region on land officially acquired from Indorama Ventures on 14 February 2024.
