Following the successful first oil production on January 19th, Pryme achieved a significant milestone by completing the first complete full process cycle i.e. producing pyrolysis oil by utilizing the complete plant process where plastic waste is supplied to an extruder which feeds the reactor before the gases produced in the reactor are condensed to pyrolysis oil. In more detail from the achievement, one of the extruders was automatically fed post-consumer plastic waste in the form of pellets from the storage bunker. The extrusion process converted the solid waste into melted plastic which was fed into the reactor through a pressurised melt pipe. Observed pressures in the extruder and the melt pipe were well within the designed operating range of the equipment. The extruder operated for more than four hours, supplying the reactor at 25% of its estimated 5-metric tons per hour capacity. During this process, the reactor maintained an internal edge temperature of above 600 and a core temperature of above 475 degrees Celsius, thereby demonstrating the capability of Pryme's electrically heated reactor to maintain accurate and adequate temperatures for the pyrolysis process. Throughout the cycle, the condensation unit received a steady flow of gas which was condensed into pyrolysis oil. This ultimately allowed for a desired overflow in condensation column leading to oil being transferred into the storage unit for the first time. The process concluded with a planned stop in production to perform an ash purge, marking the end of the first integrated process cycle. As stated in Pryme's January 19th, 2024 announcement, the gradual ramp-up of the plant will take place through three phases. Phase 1, which is now completed was finalized slightly before the original schedule. During the second phase, which started today, the company will focus on feeding the reactor with melted plastic through the two extruders via a melt pipe, the front-end of the production. The integration of the front- and back-end (reactor and condensation) processes is required in order to achieve high throughput production. The second phase is expected to continue into the third quarter with steadily increasing volumes. In the third phase, commencing after the completion of phase two, Pryme expects to perform production runs approaching the nameplate capacity of 40,000 metric tons of waste plastic input annually with a
production output of 30,000 metric tons of pyrolysis oil. With the limited production output of phase two expect to commence commercial oil deliveries in the second quarter of 2024.