AMR Future Brief| Pioneering Sustainable Solutions: How Advanced Recycling Technologies Are Shaping the Plastic Industry?

Plastic is a lightweight, versatile, and durable material that benefits society in many ways. It serves as a great alternative to paper, aluminum, or glass. However, its proper disposal has become the major concern that makes many plastic recycling businesses develop more environmentally friendly recycling methodologies. In the past few years, plastic recycling has undergone huge transformation, playing an important role in bringing a net-zero future by adopting new lower-carbon technologies.  

An overview of advanced plastic recycling 

The advanced plastic recycling process converts plastic waste back into its molecular building blocks, which further acts as raw material for making new plastics, transportation fuels, and other products. It is a proven technology that is used around the world to improve recycling rates and support a circular economy. Advanced recycling technologies have the potential to complement existing mechanical recycling by providing value-added opportunities for traditionally hard-to-recycle plastics and opening the door for processing mixed plastics.  

Recycling plants use many methods for recycling plastic, among which mechanical recycling is the most common process. In mechanical recycling, plastic is shredded into very small pieces and then heated until it melts. The molten plastic is then poured into molds to create new products.  

A recent survey reveals that globally, only 9% of plastic is recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills or polluting the environment. In 2019, global plastic waste generation doubled from 2,000 to 353 million tons. This figure is anticipated to increase to 40% by the year 2030. To combat this, governments of many nations are taking innovative steps to transition from a linear to a circular economy model. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the National Recycling Goal to achieve a 50% recycling rate by 2030. It is estimated that there will be more plastic waste than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050. This shocking statistic emphasizes the importance of recycling plastic waste and finding innovative ways to reuse this material.  

Pyrolysis plastic recycling 

Advanced recycling combines mechanical and chemical recycling methods to break down materials into raw commodities for reuse. This process is done through various methods such as thermal decomposition, chemical dissolution, or mechanical separation. The most effective form of advanced recycling is pyrolysis plastic recycling. It is the core technology that is utilized in advanced plastic recycling. It involves the decomposition of plastic waste through heat typically at about 500°C in the absence of oxygen. This further vaporizes plastic waste in the pyrolysis reactor. It is then condensed to produce pyrolysis oil along with fuel gas, char, and hydrocarbons. This process generates less waste compared to traditional recycling methods, at the same time, generating reusable products. Pyrolysis oil is the main product generated from this process which is used as feedstock to produce new plastic materials and synthetic chemicals.  

Initiatives by Borealis and TotalEnergies to expand polymer production processes 

In November 2023, Borealis, an Austrian plastics manufacturer, announced its acquisition of Integra Plastics AD, a renowned advanced mechanical recycler to increase its recycling capacity by over 20,000 tons and meet consumer demands for sustainable solutions. Lucrèce Foufopoulos, executive vice president of Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions, and Innovation & Technology at Borealis, said that with this acquisition, the company aims to progress in transitioning into a circular economy to reinvent essentials for sustainable living. The company believes that joining hands with Integra Plastics AD helps strengthen its ability to deliver on its advanced mechanical recycling ambition and enable its customers to meet their sustainability targets.  

Similarly, in May 2023, TotalEnergies, a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company joined forces with Spain-based Iber Resinas, a leading player in the mechanical recycling of plastics for sustainable applications. Under this agreement, TotalEnergies aims to expand its production of circular polymers in Europe, offering a wide range of recycled products. Iber Resinas recycles plastics including polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene derived from household and industrial waste in its two plants near Valencia, Spain. Therefore, with this acquisition, TotalEnergies envisions to achieve its ambition of increasing the share of circular polymers in its plastic production to 30% by 2030.  

Nathalie Brunelle, Senior Vice President Polymers, Refining & Chemicals, at TotalEnergies  expressed the company's enthusiasm in welcoming the Iber Resinas team, highlighting the opportunity to integrate their recycling processes with TotalEnergies' expertise in polymers. Furthermore, Santiago Sanz and Borja Sanz, owners and managing directors of Iber Resinas stated that this acquisition helps Iber Resinas to expand its reach in Spain and the EU in the polymer recycling sector, meeting new challenges and ambitions of its customers.  

Summing up, advanced plastic recycling showcases a pivotal initiative toward a sustainable future, enabling the efficient reuse of materials and reducing environmental impact. Moreover, the continuous research for developing better and more efficient ways to recycle materials by several recycling giants is expected to reinvent essentials for a greener and sustainable living. 

To get more insights into the advancements in advanced plastic recycling, feel free to talk to our industry experts today! You can also directly chat with them through for any queries.  

✍ **𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓: Rosy Behera