Technology focus: HydroFlex® is giving plastic waste a new life – in fuel tanks

Plastic waste is projected to almost triple by 2060, with half still heading for landfill and less than a fifth recycled, according to the OECD’s Global Plastics Outlook. Topsoe believes a better future is possible, and its HydroFlex® technology is the means to get there.

HydroFlex was built to bring full feedstock flexibility to the refinery. Originally developed for renewable and bio-based feedstocks, the technology is now being applied to one of the most challenging feedstocks: liquified plastic waste.

Rethinking what the refinery can process

The conversion of waste plastics into usable fuel is a multi-step process. First, feedstock must be cleared of contaminants. From there, HydroFlex takes on the upgrading stage that transforms the material into ready-to-use fuel. By employing HydroFlex in this way, Topsoe’s plastic waste processing portfolio, which includes the leading and industrially proven PureStep™ solution, is further strengthened. 

Plastic-derived feedstocks differ in an important respect from bio-based materials: they carry no oxygen content. This changes the process chemistry significantly. Unlike bio-based HydroFlex applications, which require hydrodeoxygenation to strip oxygenates from the feed, the plastics pathway focuses on decontamination, saturation, dewaxing and hydrocracking. Topsoe tailors unit design and catalyst selection to the specific composition and demands of each feedstock, making the technology as relevant to recycled plastic pyrolysis oil as it is to conventional renewable inputs.

The end products – diesel, jet fuel, gasoline and naphtha – are fully compatible with modern combustion engines and existing fuel infrastructure and can be blended safely with conventional fuels.

A key question surrounding recycled carbon fuels concerns the greenhouse gas (GHG) savings they deliver. While these fuels displace fossil fuel production, the plastics feedstock itself contains fossil carbon, which is released during combustion. The emissions savings are therefore driven primarily by two factors: the avoided environmental impact of the alternative end-of-life pathway for the waste plastic (such as landfill or incineration), and the efficiency of the conversion process itself. As a result, the net climate benefit is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, following established sustainability frameworks analogous to those applied to conventional biofuels.

A landmark agreement signals commercial momentum

In a milestone for the technology, Abundia Global Impact Group (NYSE American; AGIG) has entered a licensing agreement with Topsoe to deploy HydroFlex at its first waste-plastics-to-renewable products facility in Baytown, Texas. This is the first agreement of its kind to use HydroFlex specifically in a plastics recycling application at commercial scale. HydroFlex was selected as it meaningfully de-risks the company's development path and reinforces the bankability of its overall configuration.

The deal includes a long-term commitment to deploy Topsoe's HydroFlex technology across multiple future Abundia facilities located in North America, which represents a core component of Abundia's 2026 development plans towards final investment decision. Independent technical due diligence was completed by Abundia's engineering partner Nexus PMG, which validated Topsoe technology selection as a capital-efficient and commercially proven pathway for production of renewable fuels.