Burnt at the edge.Open burns at the perimeter of legal landfills release dioxins and microplastics into the air the city breathes.Bangkok periphery.
PET recycling is mature. Much of Thailand’s LDPE, HDPE and PP remains unrecycled. VAO plans to turn these plastics into circular refinery feedstock using world-leading technology.
Pre-treatment. Pyrolysis. Upgrading.
The chemistry to catch up.
ASEAN generates millions of tons of polyolefin waste every year. Most of it gets burnt, buried, or washed into the ocean because mechanical recycling can’t process it. We are developing chemical pyrolysis capacity that can convert plastic waste into circular refinery feedstock. Phase one is expected to commission in Q2 2029 at Bo Win, Chonburi.
Contact the teamThe Problem
Washed into the sea.Mismanaged waste in coastal villages flushes into the Gulf with the tide. The nearest beaches absorb it.Gulf of Thailand.
Buried out of sight.Mixed plastic ends up in unlined landfills next to the very industrial estates that could be reusing it.Chonburi province.
Building Thailand's feedstock independence.Locally sourced plastic waste can become circular refinery feedstock, helping reduce reliance on imported fossil-based feedstocks.Local plastic supply. Illustrative image.
- Burnt at the edge. Bangkok periphery. Open burns at the perimeter of legal landfills release dioxins and microplastics into the air the city breathes.
- Washed into the sea. Gulf of Thailand. Mismanaged waste in coastal villages flushes into the Gulf with the tide. The nearest beaches absorb it.
- Buried out of sight. Chonburi province. Mixed plastic ends up in unlined landfills next to the very industrial estates that could be reusing it.
- Building Thailand's feedstock independence. Local plastic supply. Illustrative image. Locally sourced plastic waste can become circular refinery feedstock, helping reduce reliance on imported fossil-based feedstocks.
Our process
Plastic in. High quality ISCC-Plus Pyrolysis out. This planned chemical pyrolysis line using world-leading technology at Bo Win, Chonburi is designed to convert mixed-polyolefin feedstock into circular refinery feedstock.
01
Collect
Plastic waste is pre-treated by our partners before being baled and delivered to our site.
02
Sort
Polyolefin-only stream isolated. PE and PP separated from PVC, PET, and inorganic contaminants before any thermal step.
03
Shred
Bulk plastic mechanically reduced to uniform flake. Consistent particle size keeps downstream conditioning predictable.
04
Wash
Residue, fines, and adhered organics removed. Feedstock dried and stabilised for entry into the reactor.
05
Chemical Pyrolysis
World-leading thermal cracking technology. Long-chain polymers broken back into hydrocarbon liquid in an oxygen-free environment.
06
Offtake
The planned process will produce pyrolysis oil for testing and potential use as circular refinery feedstock.
01 / 06
Built to repeat.
From our Samut Prakan pilot to the planned 90 kta facility in Bo Win, Chonburi, VAO is also exploring opportunities to develop a further 90 kta of capacity in Thailand, bringing the potential total to 180 kta of annual waste-plastic processing capacity.
More on VAO
Team
Our core team.
Managing DirectorAvinash (Ashwin) Chugani
Independent DirectorRajchanee Chanawatr
Owner's EngineerDavid Zelinski
Special AdvisorMartyn Tickner
Timeline
From pilot to scale.
- 2014Founded
- 2019Pilot plant commissioned
- 2021Pilot plant sold to European investor
- 2022USTDA grant awarded · feasibility study
- 2025FEED study completed with IFC + AEPW support
- 2027Targeted Final Investment Decision
- 2029 Q2Targeted commissioning · Bo Win
~1.8 ktCO₂e annual reduction versus assessed baseline.
- ~5% below baseline · >50 ktCO₂e over project life
Source: ERM GHG emissions assessment summarized in VAO Energy’s September 2026 presentation. Estimates are subject to the study assumptions.
Phase 1 · Bo Win, Chonburi
Bo Win. Planned commissioning Q2 2029.
- 56,000 sqm at Bo Win Industrial Estate.
- Line 1 at 30 kta, scaling to 90 kta.
- Site secured; further expansion planned in Thailand.
Project in development
