Chemelot on track to reduce microplastics
According to Circle Infra Partners’ water permit at Chemelot – the strictest in the Netherlands – a maximum of 14,000 kilograms of “plastics” per year may be in the water that goes toward the Meuse after water treatment. The new report “Chemelot on the road to fewer microplastics” now shows that about 3,000 kilograms of microplastics per year return to the Meuse with the treated water.
Raw materials from Chemelot are used to make numerous plastics, of which every household is sure to have about 300 kilograms in their homes. Our material is in packaging, toys, cars, phones, clothing, curtains and kitchen appliances, for example. Chemelot’s ambition is to be Europe’s first circular chemical and materials site by 2050 and is well on its way to being halfway there by 2030. And if it works anywhere, it’s here. Chemelot is part of the nearly 100-year tradition of transition; from coal to circular.
Chemelot important for meeting global climate goals
“We take our role as a leader in sustainability seriously by producing responsibly, as green as possible for people and nature. For example, by replacing fossil raw materials with recycled plastic or biomass and with a circular water program on our 880-hectare site. Greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by as much as 50% since 2000 with increasing production,” says Chemelot director Loek Radix. “For example, Chemelot is important for achieving global climate goals. In order to be the most sustainable chemistry site in Europe, we are also taking measures at Chemelot for a clean environment. Preventing microplastics in the water is an important part of that.”
Christian Widdershoven, CEO Circle Infra Partners said, “With this report, we want to share our current knowledge about microplastics and put the release of microplastics at Chemelot into the perspective of production and the measures taken to minimize losses of plastics to the environment. Our professional water treatment plant plays an important role in this. From a general perspective, we are playing a leading role, not only with this water permit, the strictest in the Netherlands, but also by (further) developing often non-standardized measurement methods for microplastics and reducing the release of microplastics as much as possible.”
Better picture of microplastics
Circle Infra Partners’ strict water permit for the companies at Chemelot, is the first in the Netherlands where all substances used at the site are listed by name. These substances are by no means all found in treated wastewater. Chemelot takes its obligations and requirements very seriously and complies with them. As an example, of the 2.3 billion kilograms of plastic produced at Chemelot for all kinds of household products, we lose about 0.00013% to water. That does not mean we are going to sit still; quite the contrary. We continuously monitor wastewater quality before discharge and co-develop methods to increasingly measure and characterize substances in water, including plastics. We cannot and will not exceed drinking water or ecological standards and take our role as a frontrunner in this seriously by working on the front lines of these developments, contributing to minimizing harm to people or the environment.
At Chemelot, wastewater from more than 60 different plants is treated by the Integrated Wastewater Treatment Plant (IAZI), operated by Circle Infra Partners. From the water permit, we had a duty to provide a report on regulation 36, on twelve substances (“plastics”), by January 1, 2024. According to the water permit, Chemelot is allowed to discharge a maximum of 14,000 kilograms per year of these 12 substances with its wastewater. However, the Regulation 36 report shows, based on measurements and new estimates, that about 4,000 pounds per year are currently being discharged. Research has also given us a better picture of which and how many microplastics occur in sand, sludge and other solids that return to the Meuse with the treated wastewater. Hence, our report also deals extensively with the total microplastics (solids), about 3,000 kilograms per year.
Starting points for further reduction
With recent measurement results, we have for the first time a more concrete indication of the extent of microplastics we are losing to wastewater. This gives us insight into where reduction is still possible. With these starting points, we will work with companies at Chemelot in a targeted way to further reduce microplastics losses. We are therefore continuing research to find out even more precisely what substances are involved and how we can prevent them from entering the Meuse as little as possible. To contribute together to a clean environment.
For more context, also read this article:
https://www.chemelot.nl/nieuws/verbetering-waterkwaliteit-continu-proces
Interested in the report? Then fill out the contact form through our website to request the report: https://circleinfrapartners.nl/contact/