Wedoany.com Report-Oct. 17, Eni has initiated the Environmental Impact Assessment (VIA) authorization process to transform its industrial site in Priolo, Sicily, into a biorefinery and chemical recycling facility. The Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security recently approved the application to proceed with construction, utilizing Versalis’ proprietary Hoop technology for the recycling plant.

The project will repurpose the area currently hosting Versalis’ ethylene plant, which will be phased out, along with an adjacent service area. The biorefinery, set for completion by the end of 2028, will have an annual production capacity of 500,000 tonnes. It will primarily process vegetable residues, waste, animal fats, and vegetable oils. The facility includes an Ecofining plant, a biogenic feedstock pre-treatment unit, and a hydrogen production plant.

This will be Sicily’s second biorefinery, following the Gela plant operational since 2019. The Priolo facility will produce HVO diesel for road, marine, and rail transport, as well as biojet fuel for aviation, offering versatile output to meet diverse transport needs.

The Versalis Hoop plant will use chemical recycling technology based on pyrolysis to process 40,000 tonnes of mixed plastic packaging waste annually, yielding approximately 32,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil. A demonstration plant for Hoop technology was commissioned in Mantua in June 2025, and the Priolo facility will be the first to operate at an industrial scale. This technology complements mechanical recycling, converting plastic waste into raw materials for new plastic products suitable for food and pharmaceutical packaging.

The Hoop technology, developed in collaboration with Italian engineering firm S.R.S. (Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo), combines a high-performance pyrolysis reactor with advanced polymer property analysis and process optimization, enhanced by artificial intelligence. This ensures high material recovery rates and flexibility in handling various feedstocks.

“The plan to transform the Priolo industrial site, announced in October 2024 and formalized in March 2025 by an agreement signed at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), confirms the decarbonisation objectives of Eni and its subsidiaries,” an Eni spokesperson stated.

The Priolo project underscores Eni’s commitment to sustainable energy and circular economy solutions, aligning with efforts to reduce carbon emissions and enhance resource efficiency. By integrating biorefining and advanced recycling, the initiative supports the transition to cleaner energy and sustainable materials in Italy’s industrial sector.