By Brazil Stock Guide – Petrobras (PETR4) will inaugurate a new pilot unit for chemical recycling of plastics on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). The initiative was first announced by Agência Petrobras, which described the project as a strategic step to advance Brazil’s research capacity in low-carbon technologies.
According to the company, the facility was developed through a partnership between Petrobras and Coppe/UFRJ, with support from the university’s Macromolecules Institute. The installation uses pyrolysis to break down hard-to-recycle plastic waste into oil and reusable gases, enabling the material to return to the production chain as feedstock for refiners and the petrochemical industry.
The pilot plant operates in continuous flow and can process up to one metric ton of discarded plastic per day. Petrobras invested 10 million reais in the R&D effort, including the refurbishment of the production hall and the acquisition and installation of the pyrolysis module.
The project also receives support from Orla sem Lixo, a socio-environmental program that collects floating waste around Ilha do Fundão and the university campus. The facility is designed as a scalable model for outputting pyrolysis oil with lower environmental impact, helping reduce marine pollution and extending the life cycle of plastics.
The next phase includes the production of pyrolysis-oil samples derived from different plastic residues, using distinct catalysts. These samples will be tested at Petrobras’s research center, Cenpes, to assess their suitability for co-processing in existing refining assets for the development of circular, low-carbon products.
The official presentation will take place at the Coppe auditorium, followed by a press visit to the installation site at UFRJ’s Technology Center.
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