Chloe Zhang
Advanced plastic recycling, also known as chemical recycling, is a process that uses several technologies to convert post-use plastics into their original building blocks, specialty polymers, and feedstocks for new plastics, chemical products, waxes, and other non-fuel products. It is a proven technology that can be used to improve recycling rates and support a more circular economy. Advanced plastic recycling is key to achieving the goal of reusing, recycling, or recovering 100% of used plastic packaging. It is also capable of manufacturing high-functioning, high-performing grades of plastic for food, medical, and pharmaceutical uses. The process involves breaking down used plastic into its original form so it can be used to make a wide range of new products. Advanced plastic recycling is a complement to traditional recycling methods and helps address plastic waste by enabling the breakdown of more kinds of plastic and converting them back into the molecules needed to make new products.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Advanced plastic recycling, also called chemical recycling, refers to several different technologies that convert post-use plastics into their original building blocks, specialty polymers, and feedstocks for new plastics, chemical products, waxes, and other non-fuel products. |
| Importance | Advanced recycling is important because it acts as a complement to traditional recycling methods, helping to address plastic waste by enabling the breakdown of more kinds of plastic and converting them back into the molecules needed to make new products. |
| Benefits | Advanced recycling can help reduce landfill use, decrease demand for fossil fuels and other natural resources, promote domestic business and employment, and create a more sustainable economy and a better environment for future generations. |
| Hurdles | Companies looking to use advanced recycling may face process and technology challenges, high startup and operating costs, underdeveloped domestic markets for recycled products, and limited incentives for recycling innovation and investment. |
| Examples | Advanced recycling technologies include pyrolysis, gasification, conversion, thermal and chemical decomposition, and purification. |
| Companies | Several companies are using or developing advanced recycling technologies, including Alterra Energy, ExxonMobil, New Hope Energy, Nexus Circular, Eastman, Encina, Chevron Phillips Chemical, and LyondellBasell. |
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What You'll Learn
Advanced recycling technologies
Advanced recycling is particularly useful for commonly used plastics that are difficult to recycle, such as snack wrappers, food pouches, tubes, and plastic toys. It can also be used to manufacture high-functioning, high-performing grades of plastic for food, medical, and pharmaceutical uses. This makes advanced recycling a tremendous breakthrough in plastics recycling.
Several companies are already using advanced recycling technologies to recycle plastic into new plastic. For example, the Alterra Energy plant in Akron, Ohio, recycles plastics back into a fluid used in plastic manufacture. ExxonMobil also has an advanced recycling facility in Baytown, Texas, with the capacity to process 80 million pounds of plastic waste per year.
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Chemical recycling
Plastic waste is a pressing issue, with only about 9% of plastic in the U.S. being reused. While mechanical recycling is the dominant technology for plastic recycling, it is expensive, labour-intensive, and produces lower-quality plastics. As such, the industry is turning to advanced recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling, as a potential solution.
There are several chemical recycling technologies, including pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, and depolymerisation. Pyrolysis, for example, is a process where plastics are heated to high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment, resulting in pyrolysis oil, which contains large amounts of olefins—simple hydrocarbons that are essential for today's chemicals and polymers. This oil can then be further processed into high-value chemicals, such as surfactants, alcohols, and carboxylic acids.
Overall, chemical recycling is a promising advanced technology that can help address the growing problem of plastic waste, but it needs support and investment from policymakers and industries to overcome the challenges and fully realise its potential.
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Reducing plastic waste
One of the key benefits of advanced recycling is its potential to reduce plastic waste in landfills and the environment. Currently, a significant amount of plastic waste ends up in landfills, contributing to environmental pollution and the release of harmful chemicals. Advanced recycling technologies can address this issue by capturing and reusing large volumes of plastic waste that would otherwise go unrecycled, thereby reducing the need for landfills. Additionally, these technologies can help create a more circular economy for plastics, where plastic waste is repurposed into valuable resources instead of being disposed of.
To further reduce plastic waste, it is essential to incentivize and promote advanced recycling technologies. Policymakers play a crucial role in supporting this transition by encouraging innovation and investment in manufacturing and recycling capacity. Additionally, companies adopting advanced recycling may face challenges, including high startup and operating costs, undeveloped markets for recycled products, and limited incentives for recycling innovation. Addressing these hurdles can help foster the development and implementation of advanced recycling technologies.
While advanced recycling offers promising solutions, it should be noted that it is not a standalone solution to the plastic waste crisis. Environmental groups argue that reducing plastic production and usage is essential, and advanced recycling should not be used as an excuse to continue ramping up plastic production. Therefore, a comprehensive approach that combines advanced recycling with responsible plastic usage and waste management strategies is necessary to address the complex problem of reducing plastic waste.
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Environmental impact
The use of plastic is anticipated to triple by 2060 compared to 2019 levels, driven by the expanding global economy. This poses a critical global challenge to ecological and human health, requiring focused solutions to reduce the impact of plastic pollution in the environment.
Recycling is one of the most important actions currently available to reduce these impacts. It is a waste-management strategy that can also be seen as an example of implementing the concept of industrial ecology. High levels of recycling can reduce energy and material usage per unit of output and yield improved eco-efficiency. Recycling can also help to reduce the environmental consequences of plastic waste, such as the significant carbon footprint associated with the production and disposal of plastic products, which create large amounts of greenhouse gases.
However, the current global recycling rate for plastic is only 9%, and recycling has favoured thermoplastics, neglecting thermoset plastics. There is a constant need to enhance overall recycling efficiency by exploring advanced methods, as enormous gaps exist in fully unlocking the potential of plastic recycling.
One such advanced method is chemical recycling, also called advanced recycling, plastics renewal, or molecular recycling. This process breaks down plastics into their original monomers, which can be re-polymerized into new plastics. Chemical recycling can handle mixed and contaminated plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically, and it offers the potential to recycle a broader range of plastics and produce high-quality recycled materials. However, it is important to note that chemical recycling is not without its drawbacks. It requires large amounts of energy and can emit significant pollutants and greenhouse gases. The environmental impacts of chemical recycling technologies, such as pyrolysis and gasification, are currently 10-100 times higher than virgin polymers due to low yields. These technologies also incentivize plastic production and perpetuate plastic waste, as they produce fossil fuels that will be burned again.
While advanced recycling methods can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of plastic recycling, it is also crucial to address the root cause of the problem by reducing plastic production and consumption and exploring alternative sustainable materials.
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Advanced recycling infrastructure
The development of advanced recycling infrastructure involves significant investments and collaborations between various stakeholders, including governments, corporations, and environmental organizations. These efforts aim to establish a network of facilities equipped with cutting-edge technologies capable of processing large volumes of plastic waste.
A key component of advanced recycling infrastructure is the utilization of chemical recycling technologies. This involves breaking down plastic waste into its molecular building blocks through processes such as pyrolysis and gasification. These advanced chemical processes allow for the creation of virgin-equivalent plastics, fuels, and other chemical products. By converting hard-to-recycle plastics into reusable resources, advanced recycling technologies play a pivotal role in reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainability.
To support the transition to a circular economy, companies like ExxonMobil, Alterra Energy, and America's Plastic Makers are leading the way in advanced recycling infrastructure development. For instance, ExxonMobil's advanced recycling facility in Baytown, Texas, has the capacity to process 80 million pounds of plastic waste annually, contributing to their goal of preventing plastic waste from being burned or buried.
Additionally, advanced recycling infrastructure encompasses the integration of innovative sorting technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) and molecular vibration identification techniques enhance the efficiency of sorting processes, which are common to both chemical and mechanical recycling methods. These advancements in sorting technologies further contribute to the overall effectiveness of advanced recycling systems.
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Frequently asked questions
Advanced plastic recycling, also known as chemical recycling, is a process that uses several different technologies to convert post-use plastics into their original building blocks, specialty polymers, and feedstocks for new plastics, chemical products, waxes, and other non-fuel products.
Advanced plastic recycling is important because it complements traditional recycling methods by specialising in commonly used plastics that are difficult to recycle, such as snack wrappers, food pouches, tubes, and plastic toys.
Advanced plastic recycling technologies break down used plastic into its original form so that it can be used to make a wide range of new products.
Advanced plastic recycling can help reduce landfill use, decrease demand for fossil fuels and other natural resources, promote domestic business and employment, and create a more sustainable economy.
