Ethan Clarke
Plastic waste is a critical environmental concern, with only 20% of the 250 million metric tons of plastic waste generated annually being recycled. Chemical recycling is a novel approach that breaks down polymers into monomers to create new polymers, which can be used as raw materials for manufacturing. This process can handle complex plastic waste streams that traditional mechanical recycling cannot, such as multi-layered plastics, and thus, reduces waste disposal and contributes to a circular economy. However, chemical recycling has been criticised for its toxic impacts and limited effectiveness, with pyrolysis, a common chemical recycling method, generating hazardous waste and only recycling a small percentage of plastic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Chemical recycling is the process of converting polymeric waste by changing its chemical structure and turning it back into substances that can be used as raw materials for manufacturing plastics or other products. |
| Purpose | To reduce disposed waste, contribute to a circular economy for plastics, and eliminate the emissions associated with incineration and energy recovery. |
| Benefits | Can be used for plastic waste that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to landfills, and can be used to produce food-grade plastics from post-consumer waste. |
| Technologies | Dissolution, depolymerization, conversion, pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, hydrothermal treatment, and feedstock recycling. |
| Drawbacks | May create large amounts of hazardous waste, generate hazardous air pollutants, and pose serious health and environmental concerns due to the use of toxic solvents and chemical agents. |
| Examples | Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Unilever have committed to incorporating recycled material into their packaging. Lactel has started producing UHT milk bottles made of recycled high-density polyethylene (rPEhd). |
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What You'll Learn
The benefits of chemical recycling
Chemical recycling is a process that uses heat, chemical reactions, or both, to break down used plastics into raw materials for new plastic, fuel, or other chemicals. It is an advanced form of recycling technology that can reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, thereby reducing the release of harmful chemicals into the environment.
Reduces plastic waste and promotes a circular economy
Chemical recycling can help reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills or is incinerated. With around 250 million metric tons of plastic waste generated globally each year and only about 20% of it being recycled, chemical recycling offers a way to increase the overall recycling rates and promote a more circular economy for plastics. It can handle complex plastic waste streams, such as films or laminates, that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills or through incineration.
Reduces the use of fossil fuels and natural resources
By converting plastic waste into raw materials, chemical recycling can decrease the demand for fossil fuels and other natural resources used in plastic manufacturing. It provides a way to replace virgin fossil feedstock with recycled feedstock, reducing the use of conventional fossil raw materials. This, in turn, helps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fossil resource depletion.
High-quality recycled plastic
Chemical recycling has the potential to produce very high-quality recycled plastic that can be used in demanding applications, including food contact. This high-quality recyclate can be indistinguishable from new plastic, making it a more attractive option for consumers and manufacturers.
Job creation and economic opportunities
The development and adoption of chemical recycling technologies can create new economic opportunities and jobs in the sector. It can promote domestic businesses and employment, as well as create a market for plastic waste and new ways to reuse plastics.
Complements mechanical recycling
Chemical recycling can complement mechanical recycling, which is currently the dominant technology for plastic recycling. Mechanical recycling has certain limitations, such as being labor-intensive and producing lower-quality plastics. Chemical recycling can handle certain types of plastic waste that mechanical recycling cannot, such as plastics with residues or mixed plastic waste fractions. By combining both methods, overall recycling rates can be increased.
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How chemical recycling differs from mechanical recycling
Plastic recycling is a critical component of the fight against plastic pollution. While mechanical recycling has traditionally been the most common method, chemical recycling is emerging as a promising alternative for plastics that are difficult or uneconomic to recycle mechanically.
Mechanical recycling involves physically changing the recycled plastic material without altering its polymer composition. The process includes sorting, grinding, separating, washing, melting, and then cooling the plastic back into granulated recycled plastic. However, this method only works with certain types of plastics, typically those made of single polymers, such as PET bottles and HDPE containers. Many plastic items contain multiple polymer types, layers of plastic, or food and grime contaminants, making them challenging or costly to recycle mechanically.
Chemical recycling, on the other hand, employs chemical, thermal, or catalytic processes to break down the polymer chains in plastics into smaller molecules or monomers. These monomers can then be fed back into the plastic production process as secondary raw materials, creating a circular loop. Chemical recycling can handle complex plastic waste streams, such as films, multi-layered plastics, and contaminated items, that would otherwise end up in landfills or be incinerated.
One significant difference between the two methods is that mechanical recycling requires uncontaminated waste streams, while chemical recycling can recycle most plastics together, even those with food or grime contaminants. Additionally, mechanical recycling results in a mechanically recycled plastic waste product that may be aesthetically less attractive and have limited technical applications compared to virgin plastic. In contrast, chemical recycling can produce virgin-like plastic feedstock, enabling "re-cycling" and even "up-cycling".
While mechanical recycling has proven operationally viable, it faces economic challenges and cannot meet the market's growing demand for recycled plastics. Chemical recycling, despite requiring more energy and producing more CO2 emissions, offers a potential solution to these issues by claiming to recycle almost any plastic and producing high-quality recycled materials. However, it has not yet been proven to work on a large industrial scale, and there may be challenges in scaling up the technology.
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The environmental impact of chemical recycling
Chemical recycling is a novel approach to plastic waste recycling that involves converting polymeric waste by changing its chemical structure. This process allows for the production of recycled plastic with virgin plastic properties, which can be used in various applications, including food packaging and medical applications. It is particularly useful for complex plastic waste streams, such as films, laminates, and multi-layered plastics, that are often difficult or expensive to recycle mechanically. By diverting plastic waste from landfills and incineration, chemical recycling has the potential to significantly improve recycling rates and reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste disposal.
One of the key benefits of chemical recycling is its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower carbon footprints. Studies have shown that chemical recycling via pyrolysis has a significantly lower climate change impact than the use of virgin fossil resources. Reprocessing 1 ton of plastic through pyrolysis can save up to approximately 130 million kilojoules of energy. Additionally, chemical recycling can eliminate the emissions associated with incineration, contributing to a cleaner environment and improved air quality.
However, there are also concerns about the environmental and health impacts of chemical recycling plants. There is limited information and research available on the potential hazards and pollution associated with these facilities. Environmental advocates have expressed concern about the lack of oversight and regulation of chemical recycling plants, particularly in the United States. For example, in Louisiana, a new law has been passed that will regulate these facilities as manufacturers rather than solid waste facilities, which could potentially lead to reduced environmental oversight. There are also concerns about the air pollution and climate impacts of these plants, with communities located nearby urging for more transparency and protection.
Furthermore, chemical recycling technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis require downstream output cleaning to protect the equipment and maintain product value. This adds to the complexity and cost of the process. Additionally, the market forces that make virgin plastics cheaper than recycled plastic feedstock can hinder the widespread adoption of chemical recycling.
Overall, while chemical recycling has the potential to positively impact the environment by reducing plastic waste and emissions, more research and regulation are needed to address the potential environmental and health concerns associated with this emerging technology.
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The chemical processes involved in chemical recycling
Plastic waste has become a major global challenge, with around 250 million metric tons generated each year. However, only about 20% of this plastic is recycled, and even less in Europe (15%) and the US (9%). This is because, traditionally, the only way to recycle plastic waste was through mechanical recycling, which involves sorting, grinding, separating, washing, melting, and cooling plastic into granulated recycled plastic. However, this process is only possible with certain types of plastics, typically those made up of single polymers, such as PET beverage bottles and HDPE containers. Many plastic items contain multiple types of polymers, multiple layers of plastic, or are contaminated with food and grime, making them hard or too expensive to recycle mechanically.
Chemical recycling is a novel approach to plastic waste recycling that offers a solution to this problem. It is a broad term used to describe a range of emerging technologies in the waste management industry that can recycle plastics that are difficult or uneconomic to recycle mechanically. Chemical recycling breaks down polymers into their building blocks, turning plastic waste back into base chemicals and chemical feedstocks. This enables the production of recycled plastic (recyclate) with virgin plastic properties that can be used in demanding applications, such as food contact.
There are three distinct categories of chemical recycling technologies based on the position of their outputs in the plastics supply chain: dissolution, depolymerisation, and conversion. Dissolution removes additives from polymers by immersing them in solvents, allowing the plastic to dissolve and return to the polymer stage, where it can be reformulated into new recycled plastics. Depolymerisation uses chemistry, solvents, and heat to turn polymers back into smaller molecules (monomers), which can be fed back into the plastic production process as secondary raw materials. Conversion uses chemistry, heat, or catalytic processes in a reactor to break down plastic waste into a gaseous (gasification) or liquid, oil-like feedstock (pyrolysis) like refined hydrocarbons or petrochemicals, which can be further processed to form the feedstock for petrochemical-type processing.
While chemical recycling has the potential to dramatically improve recycling rates and divert plastic waste from landfill or incineration, it is not without its drawbacks. Pyrolysis, for example, has been criticised for only being able to convert a small percentage of plastic waste into new plastic and for generating large amounts of hazardous waste. Solvent-based methods of chemical recycling, meanwhile, often use toxic solvents and chemical agents, and can also generate significant quantities of hazardous waste.
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The future of chemical recycling
The European Commission has set ambitious targets for waste reduction and plastic packaging recycling, including a 10% max landfilling of municipal waste by 2035 and a 55% recycling target for plastic packaging by 2030. To achieve these goals, chemical recycling is crucial. The industry has recognised the potential of chemical recycling to address the problem of plastic waste, and investments are being made to further develop and implement this technology.
Chemical recycling technologies are being explored and improved to enhance plastic recycling rates. These technologies can break down polymers into their building blocks, creating recycled plastic with virgin plastic properties. This allows for the production of food-grade plastics from post-consumer waste, which is a significant advancement.
Additionally, chemical recycling can reduce the demand for newly extracted fossil resources. As plastic waste is recycled back into base chemicals and feedstock, the petrochemical sector can utilise these recycled materials to meet the growing market demand for plastics. This shift could also reduce the demand for oil, as recycled plastics can cover a significant portion of the new demand for plastic production.
Consumer product companies, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Unilever, have committed to incorporating more recycled materials into their packaging. Governments are also taking action by banning single-use plastics and mandating the use of recycled materials. These factors, combined with the advancements in chemical recycling technologies, present a positive outlook for the future of chemical recycling and its potential to address the global plastic waste crisis.
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Frequently asked questions
Chemical recycling is a process that converts polymeric waste by changing its chemical structure and turning it back into substances that can be used as raw materials for the manufacturing of plastics or other products.
There are different chemical recycling technologies, including pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, and depolymerisation. These technologies fall into three categories based on the position of their output in the plastics supply chain: dissolution, depolymerization, and conversion.
Chemical recycling can be used to recycle plastic waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or be incinerated. It can also be used to produce food-grade plastics from post-consumer waste, and it reduces the need for newly extracted fossil resources.
Chemical recycling can create large amounts of hazardous waste and air pollutants. The process may also use toxic solvents and chemical agents, which pose serious health and environmental concerns. Some critics argue that chemical recycling is a false solution to the plastic waste problem, and that reducing plastic production and use is a more effective strategy.
