There are several market drivers for increasing plastic recycling rates, including government legislation and public demand. This has led companies across the value chain to embrace this challenge with a variety of pledges and goals; this has resulted in many looking at advanced recycling processes. With all this attention and market activity, consumers and regulators will both want to know where these recycled products can be found.
Before looking at those applications, it is important to acknowledge that an ongoing debate is how these processes are classified and recognized for their green credentials (or lack thereof). The outcome of this will have a significant impact on their uptake. Equally, how this recycling will be tracked and held to account will be a key area to watch. Most petrochemical companies favor a mass balance approach, often stating it is the only feasible approach. However, there is a lot of criticism over the current methods, with many calling for stricter regulations to avoid “creative accounting” and improving the transparency for consumers.
In this article, IDTechEx will focus on six main areas looking to adopt chemically recycled products.
Like the bottles highlighted above, textiles are another area of interest here, both as a waste source and application. Several fibers are being explored, but most of the commercial focus is on polyester and nylon. This is being seen from brands that have built sustainability as a core part of their brand, such as Patagonia, and major chemical companies in this field, like Teijin. It is also not just chemical conversion or depolymerization processes that are active here. Secondary dissolution processes are a viable solution for the purification and re-use of PET and cellulosic fibers; this is shown from the likes of Worn Again and their partnership with Sulzer Chemical and H&M.
Although less reported, an emerging opportunity is in the electronics space, mainly for PC or PC/ABS blends. Electronic devices are like every other industry in facing pressure to incorporate more recycled material, but much like clothing, consumer-facing premium brands can also benefit from promoting their sustainability credentials. Including mechanically recycled PC is well-known, although often facing challenges on sourcing. There are a few emerging examples of PC from pyrolysis oil, including from Lotte Chemical and Sabic. Depolymerization of PC has been explored for several decades but with minimal commercial traction to date. However, depolymerization of PS to generate styrene monomers is a key growth area. Styrene monomers can go back to forming PS but are also being used elsewhere, such as for SBR or ABS. It has been reported to IDTechEx that there are already commercial examples of chemically recycled styrene being used by electronics companies.
The final two areas to be discussed are both promising waste sources and application areas: carpets and mattresses. For carpets, this is mainly looking at nylon, polypropylene, and polyester.
The chemical recycling of plastic waste is a rapidly evolving industry, from regulatory decisions to emerging technology solutions. 2023 will see debate will rage on surrounding the merits of chemical recycling and question marks remain over both the economic and environmental viability. Despite this, use cases are already on the market and are ever-expanding.