Intention: Building a Recycling “Supercenter” in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), Shell & AMG Recycling B.V. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to evaluate the feasibility of creating a venture in support of Saudi Arabia’s vision to maximize value from its vast natural resources.

According to a press release, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is becoming a globally important region for the supply and demand of vanadium, “and desires to enable the development of a world class vanadium recycling industry”. In support of this initiative, Shell & AMG Recycling B.V., along with Shell Catalysts & Technologies, intend to explore the feasibility of building a catalyst manufacturing and recycling “supercenter”. This “future plant” in Saudi Arabia would “enable Saudi Aramco to refine its crudes in an environmentally sustainable manner through the manufacturing of fresh residue upgrading catalysts required to convert heavy oil fractions into valuable products and recycling the resulting spent catalysts and gasification ash which are otherwise hazardous wastes”. Furthermore, it would have the ability to make significant contributions toward the circular economy by bringing state-of-the-art technologies to the Kingdom, “enabling the realization of renewable energy and GHG emission reduction goals in the region”.

(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2021, Page 14, Photo: Alchemist-hp / wikimedia)