OMV has reached a significant milestone in the chemical sector after 15 years of groundbreaking research and development. The company has commenced the large-scale expansion of its innovative proprietary ReOil® technology at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, Italy.

Source: HydrocarbonEngineering

This new facility is capable of processing up to 16,000 tons of hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste each year, which is equivalent to the annual plastic waste produced by 160,000 Austrian households.

The essential materials of the future need to become more sustainable and circular. OMV’s chemical recycling technology plays a pivotal role in driving growth in our Chemicals segment. The start-up of the new ReOil plant marks a significant milestone on our path towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest. Complementing mechanical recycling, ReOil processes plastic waste that would otherwise remain unrecyclable, reintegrating it into the value chain. Through our Strategy 2030, we are advancing circularity as a cornerstone of our responsible transformation.

Initially developed in 2009, ReOil established OMV as a global leader in chemical recycling. The technology aims to enhance plastic sustainability by reintegrating valuable resources into the supply chain, thus preventing disposal through incineration or landfill. It transforms post-consumer mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which acts as a raw material for generating sustainable base chemicals. These chemicals are then used in various everyday products, including food packaging, healthcare items, and components for electric vehicles. The ReOil technology offers a significant environmental benefit: by 2030, a 34% reduction in CO2 emissions can be achieved if post-consumer mixed plastic waste is chemically recycled at the ReOil plant instead of being incinerated.

The original ReOil pilot plant at the OMV Schwechat refinery has been in operation since 2018, logging nearly 30,000 cracking hours to date. During this pilot phase, over 2.1 million kilograms of plastic waste have been processed sustainably. The success of the pilot plant led to the decision to build a larger, scaled-up facility, which OMV has now completed and commissioned. Both ReOil plants hold ISCC PLUS certification.

Looking ahead, OMV is in the process of developing a first-of-its-kind full-scale industrial plant for chemical recycling. The final investment decision for this plant is pending internal approvals. On March 12, 2025, OMV secured up to €81.6 million in EU funding for its industrial ReOil plant, marking the largest public grant ever awarded to the OMV Group.