The world has a plastic waste problem, and our current recycling regulatory structure is insufficient to address it. This Earth Day, let’s explore one possible way we could expand and improve our recycling system: the use of advanced or chemical recycling.
Traditional plastic recycling is relatively straightforward. Yes, you may need to sort plastics based on the item’s recycling number. No, you can’t recycle all plastic. No, recycling isn’t a magic fix that will make the item automatically disappear. Even with those drawbacks, we can easily understand the process—the item is taken to a recycling facility where the plastic is mechanically broken down and shredded and shipped off to become new products, extending the life of some plastics, but the end use is limited. into new objects or materials, thereby extending its life.
Chemical recycling is also known as molecular recycling, advanced recycling, or non-mechanical recycling. Unlike traditional recycling, it doesn’t use machinery to break down plastic physically. Instead, it utilizes moderate heat, pressure, and solvents to break down plastics and convert them into new plastics, oils, waxes, fuels, or other products. Technologies are referred to as purification, depolymerization, or conversion.
The most widespread chemical recycling technologies are conversion processes. This use of chemical recycling turns plastic into fuel. High pressure (a process called pyrolysis) can break down a cast-off plastic object and convert it into an oil that can be used to produce other plastic products. A different application of heat and pressure (a process known as gasification) can break down the bonds in the plastic object and convert it into natural gas.
“One of the greatest strengths of chemical recycling lies in its diversity. No single technology can process all types of discarded plastics, but collectively, chemical recycling solutions can address a wide range of materials that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration,” noted chemical recycling company Alterra.
>>>READ: Maximizing Value and Minimizing Waste in a Circular Plastics Economy
To be fair, some experts also have concerns about chemical recycling. Some believe it is ineffective, while others think it’s too lengthy a process to implement these technologies in creating new plastic from old plastic options. However, there is a documented benefit that helps offset these concerns. An analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory suggests that chemically recycled plastic products have a lower greenhouse gas footprint than brand-new plastic.
Plastics are a critical input for most of the things we use and do. Addressing the waste, however, is a necessary and top priority for the industry. Recycling will never be a perfect process, and it’s essential to consider how we can minimize plastic waste in the first place. by expanding chemical recycling, we can enhance the process. This Earth Day, that’s something to celebrate.
