28.10.2022
Chemical recycling of plastics could solve the global plastic waste problem
Photo by: Maulina Riski / iStock
Plastics manufacturers believe that chemical recycling of polymer waste can solve the problem of environmental pollution from polymer rubbish. This is reported by science news portal Phys.org, citing the findings of the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
Chemical recycling uses heat or solvents to break down plastics into liquid and gas, producing oily compounds or base components.
According to industry leaders, these blends can then be turned into plastic pellets to make new products.
According to the ACC, major chemical companies intend to build large-scale polymer recycling plants. There are already seven small plants in the US to produce plastic recyclables and fuels from plastic waste.
In particular, Alterra Energy in Akron, Ohio, said it takes in up to 50 tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic every day. The raw material is heated and turned into flammable hydrocarbon oil, producing 10,000 to 12,000 gallons a day.
US plastics manufacturers have said they will recycle or recover all plastic packaging used in the US by 2040 and have already announced investments of over $7 billion in mechanical and chemical recycling.
Industrial ecologist Roland Geyer pointed out that some 11 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since 1950, half of this in the past 12 years.
According to the UN Environment Programme and Norwegian company GRID-Arendal, global plastic production will more than quadruple by 2050.
The International Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says the share of successfully recycled plastic waste is projected to rise to 17% in 2060, up from 9% in 2019, unless additional measures are taken to curb demand for plastic and increase recycling.
This approach has been criticised by environmental organisations. According to environmentalists, efficient recycling of plastic waste prevents the reduction of plastic products.
According to Judith Enck, founder of plastic reduction organisation Beyond Plastic, it is almost impossible to fully recycle plastic products due to the abundance of chemical additives and dyes that are used to impart various properties to polymer materials.
This means that plastic waste will have to be divided into thousands of different types, which cannot be mixed and recycled in the usual mechanical way.
Cover photo: Suvra Kanti Das / iStock
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