OMV expands ReOil plant for chemical recycling
OMV has started the next-scale expansion of its innovative proprietary ReOil technology at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, Austria. The new plant can process up to 16,000 metric tons of hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste annually, equivalent to the annual plastic waste generated by 160,000 Austrian households.
The ReOil process.
ReOil achieves this by transforming post-consumer mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which serves as a raw material for producing sustainable base chemicals. These chemicals are then converted into various essential everyday applications, including food packaging, healthcare products, and components for electric vehicles.
ReOil technology complements mechanical recycling as it processes plastic waste that would otherwise remain unrecyclable, reintegrating it into the value chain.
The initial ReOil pilot plant at the OMV Schwechat refinery has been operational since 2018, achieving nearly 30,000 cracking hours to date. During this pilot period, more than 2.1 million kilograms of plastic waste have been processed sustainably.
The successful operations of the pilot plant prompted the decision to construct a larger, scaled-up facility, which OMV has now completed and started-up. Both ReOil plants are ISCC PLUS certified.
As a next step, OMV is developing a first-of-its-kind full-scale industrial plant for chemical recycling. The final investment decision by OMV for this plant is subject to internal approvals. On March 12, 2025, OMV secured up to EUR 81.6 million in EU funding for its industrial ReOil plant - the largest public grant ever awarded to the OMV Group.
