Shell uses plastic waste to produce chemicals

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Nov 21, 2019, 07:00 ET

HOUSTON, Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Shell announced it has successfully made high-end chemicals using a liquid feedstock made from plastic waste. The technique, known as pyrolysis, is considered a breakthrough for hard-to-recycle plastics and advances Shell's ambition to use one million tonnes of plastic waste a year in its global chemicals plants by 2025.

"This makes sense for the environment and our business," said Thomas Casparie, Executive Vice President of Shell's global chemicals business. "We want to take waste plastics that are tough to recycle by traditional methods and turn them back into chemicals – creating a circle. These chemicals will meet our customers' growing demands for high quality and sustainable products."

Atlanta-based Nexus Fuels LLC recently supplied its first cargo of pyrolysis liquid to Shell's chemical plant in Norco, Louisiana, USA where it was made into chemicals that are the raw materials for everyday items. Shell is working with multiple companies who collect and transform plastic waste in order to scale this solution to industrial and profitable quantities across its chemicals plants – in Asia, Europe and North America.

Shell is a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW). This not-for-profit organisation is bringing together top minds from across the plastics value chain (chemical and plastic manufacturers, consumer goods companies, retailers, converters and waste management companies) and partnering with the financial community, governments and civil society. The AEPW has committed $1.5 billion over the next five years to help end plastic waste in the environment.

Shell is also working with its retail, business fuels and lubricants customers to help reduce, reuse and recycle plastic packaging.

About Shell

Shell makes chemicals that support modern life. It may not be obvious, but they are used in thousands of products people use every day - from furniture, medical equipment, clothes and refrigerators, to computers and smart phones. Window frames, pipes, roofing, mattresses, vehicle parts and tyres. Packaging, shampoos and fertilisers. These products contribute to society's ability to live, work and play.
Shell manufactures base chemicals - ethylene, propylene and aromatics – using oil and gas as feedstock. We also make intermediates, such as mono ethylene glycol (MEG), polyols and alpha olefins, and certain performance products, such as polyethylene.
Shell's global chemicals business sells around 18 million metric tons of petrochemicals per year to over 1000 industrial customers.
Shell's world-class integrated refining and chemicals plants are in Asia-Pacific (Singapore), Europe (the Netherlands), and North America (the US Gulf Coast and Canada).
Shell operates three major petrochemical facilities in the USA at Deer Park, Texas; Norco and Geismar in Louisiana; and additional chemicals manufacturing in Canada at Scotford and Sarnia.
We draw strength from being part of an integrated energy company; we benefit from shared infrastructures, access to a variety of feedstocks, and deep manufacturing and processing expertise. This gives Shell a competitive advantage over stand-alone chemicals companies.
References to the expressions "Shell", "Shell's chemicals business" or "Shell's chemical plants around the world" refer to multiple companies that are part of the Shell Group that are engaged in chemical or related businesses. Each of the companies that make up the Shell Group of companies is an independent entity and has its own separate identity.
For more details, visit www.shell.com/chemicals.

About Nexus Fuels

Nexus profitably converts waste plastics into feedstocks, fuels, waxes and other marketable materials satisfying the demand for renewable alternatives at market-driven prices.
Nexus is currently operating a commercially-scaled 50-ton/day plant serving an array of clients seeking high-quality products. Clients include companies converting Nexus pyrolysis products back to chemicals and others refining these products into fuels.
Nexus is an end-to-end business – not simply a technology - including software, front-end handling, regulatory approvals, training/safety procedures, engineering, logistics and more led by an experienced team and guided by financially-driven metrics.
Operational and economically proven, Nexus has already sold over 75,000 gallons of pyrolysis products to a rapidly growing group of global customers.
Nexus is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. For more details please go to www.nexusfuels.com.

Cautionary Note
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this release refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations" respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This release contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule", ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. There can be no assurance that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward looking statements contained in this release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, November 21, 2019. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this release.

With respect to operating costs synergies indicated, such savings and efficiencies in procurement spend include economies of scale, specification standardisation and operating efficiencies across operating, capital and raw material cost areas.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this release that United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Shell