AMR Future Brief| Achieving Sustainability Goals: The Role of Advanced Recycling in Modern Business Practices

Over the past few years, businesses and industries have been increasingly adopting various practices to address the growing concerns of environmental sustainability and resource depletion. Among all, waste management has become one of the profound areas which businesses focus on the most, especially recycling. Traditional recycling methods, though effective to some extent, are not capable of handling the complexity and volume of modern waste streams. This challenge has spurred the development of advanced recycling technologies, revolutionizing the way of managing waste, conserving resources, and protecting the environment.  

Reasons why advanced recycling is becoming essential for industries 

In recent years, the need for alternative solutions to traditional recycling has increased because plastic packaging is constantly evolving to meet commercial demands. Traditional recycling typically involves the collection, sorting, and reprocessing of materials like paper, glass, and certain plastics. However, this approach often fails to address the more complex waste streams, such as multi-layer plastics, electronic waste, and mixed-material products. Advanced recycling technologies have emerged to fill this gap, offering innovative solutions that go beyond the capabilities of conventional methods. These recycling practices are the key to handling plastic waste effectively and keeping plastic out of the environment because they capture and reuse large volumes of used plastics that currently go unrecycled.  

According to a survey, the U.S. is aiming to achieve the goal of reusing and recycling 100% of used plastic packaging by 2040. In addition, environment monitoring experts in the country also believe that advanced recycling is capable of manufacturing high-functioning, high-performing grades of plastic for food, medical, and pharmaceutical uses, bringing significant innovations in plastic recycling.  

An overview of various advanced recycling technologies  

Chemical recycling 

One of the most promising advancements in recycling is chemical recycling. Unlike mechanical recycling, which physically reprocesses materials, chemical recycling breaks down waste into its molecular components. This process allows for the recovery of valuable raw materials that can be used to produce new products, leading to a circular economy for resource use. There are several types of chemical recycling, including pyrolysis, gasification, and depolymerization. 

Pyrolysis, for example, involves heating plastic waste without oxygen to produce oil, gas, and char. These outputs are then refined into fuels or used as feedstocks for new plastic production. Gasification, on the other hand, converts organic materials into syngas which are used to generate electricity or produce chemicals.  

Depolymerization is particularly important for its application in recycling plastics. This process breaks down polymers into their monomer units, which can be purified and repolymerized into new plastics. This technology is especially useful for handling plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically, such as PET and nylon.  

Due to the enhanced potential of chemical recycling in recovering waste, many leading players have joined forces to expand the use of chemical recycling technology. For instance, in June 2023, AP Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, entered a definite agreement with JEPLAN, Inc. and its affiliates, a global leader in chemically recycled PET technology. With this agreement, the company focuses on accelerating the international expansion of JEPLAN’s pioneering and proven PET chemical recycling technology and its production of recycled PET resin and technology license business.  

Advanced sorting technologies 

Apart from chemical recycling, efficient sorting of waste is an important step in the waste recycling process. Advanced sorting technologies have significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of this process, ensuring that recyclable materials are correctly identified and separated.  

One such technology is optical sorting, which uses sensors to detect and sort materials based on their optical properties, such as color and reflectivity. This method is highly effective for sorting plastics, metals, and glass. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is another powerful tool, capable of identifying different types of plastics by their chemical composition. This technology even distinguishes between different grades of the same material, ensuring a higher purity of recycled outputs. 

Moreover, the integration of robotics has revolutionized the sorting process in recycling facilities. With robotic arms equipped with advanced sensors, these machines swiftly pick out specific items from conveyor belts based on predefined criteria. This automation not only speeds up the sorting process but also reduces errors while handling a wide variety of recyclable items. This technology plays a significant role in scaling up recycling operations by managing large volumes of incoming materials efficiently. The ability to handle complex tasks like separating mixed paper from cardboard or removing contaminants from recyclables showcases how robotics contribute to streamlining recycling operations at a large scale. 

Electronic waste recycling 

Electronic waste has become one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally, in the past few years. This recycling process involves recovering valuable metals and components from complex and hazardous waste, while mitigating environmental risks.  

Hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes are commonly used for e-waste recycling. Hydrometallurgy involves the use of aqueous chemistry to extract metals from waste, while pyrometallurgy relies on high-temperature processes to achieve the same goal. Both methods recover precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum, as well as base metals like copper and aluminum. 

These days, bioleaching has emerged as a promising technique for e-waste recycling. This process uses microorganisms to selectively leach metals from electronic waste, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods. Bioleaching has shown greater potential for recovering metals from low-grade ores and complex waste streams, making it an exciting area of research and development. 

Dow combine forces with Circulus to expand its advanced recycling portfolio 

In June 2024, Dow, a renowned materials science company announced its acquisition of Circulus, a leading recycler of plastic waste into post-consumer resin (PCR). This acquisition allows Dow to combine its industry leading materials science technology with Circulus' film recycling expertise to accelerate progress toward its future project: 2030 Transform the Waste goal. Karen S. Carter, the president of Packaging & Specialty Plastics, said that Dow’s expertise in materials science and high-performance resins combined with Circulus' mechanical film recycling capability enables Dow to enhance its offerings in various applications across different fields. These include collation shrink packaging, stretch film, liners and select food packaging in the industrial, consumer, and transportation applications. 

In a nutshell, advanced recycling technologies have transformed the waste management landscape, offering sustainable solutions to overcome serious environmental challenges. Innovations such as chemical recycling to sophisticated sorting systems and e-waste recycling have paved the way for a circular economy of continuously reusing and managing waste. Moreover, the integration of modern technologies such as AI is expected to streamline operations and increase overall efficiency in managing recyclable materials.  

To identify more insights into the advanced recycling technologies, reach out to our industry analysts today! For any further assistance and queries, you can also chat with them here. 

 ✍ **𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓: Rosy Behera