While chemical recycling opens new possibilities for the circular economy, only a full lifecycle approach will be able to determine the real environmental benefits in terms of saved energy and global warming emissions, a senior EU official has said.<\/p>\n
Dealing with toxic substances contained in old plastic products \u2013 or \u201clegacy chemicals\u201d \u2013 is seen by many as the next frontier in recycling, if not the Holy Grail.<\/p>\n
So-called \u201cchemical recycling\u201d holds the promise of isolating toxic substances contained in plastics, which are now banned in Europe, making it possible to retrieve feedstocks that can be used to manufacture products which are as good as new.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll chemicals can be broken down to simpler building blocks and made into the same or different chemicals again, even if they are heavily mixed or contaminated,\u201d said a recent white paper by the Ellen McArthur Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity in such \u2018chemical recycling\u2019 technologies \u2013 in contrast to mechanical ones \u2013 is that they generate virgin-grade feedstock\u201d which can then be used to \u201cmake new materials and chemicals of virgin-grade quality,\u201d the paper said.<\/p>\n
At least that\u2019s how the theory goes.<\/p>\n
\u201cChemical recycling is a promising technology,\u201d said K\u0119stutis Sadauskas, director at the European Commission\u2019s environment directorate in charge of the circular economy and green growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, some challenges remain,\u201d he told sustainability consultant Michael Laermann in a July interview published on his blog. This, he explained, includes \u201cthe need for more information on the overall environmental performance of these technologies, in particular regarding energy consumption and the nature and safety of the process output.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA life-cycle approach needs to be followed in order to consider all the possible benefits and risks of this new approach, including on climate,\u201d the official cautioned, saying \u201cthe results of ongoing pilot projects still need to be expanded in order to have a representative picture of the possibilities of this technology\u201d.
\nChemical recycling of plastic: Waste no more?
\nPlastics recycling is as much of a challenge as an opportunity for the circular economy. Michael Laermann looks at chemical recycling and whether it can make the plastics value chain more circular whilst providing a profitable new industry branch.<\/p>\n
Policy review<\/p>\n
The European Commission is expected to kick off a comprehensive review of its chemicals policy with the launch of a \u201cChemicals Strategy for Sustainability\u201d in the autumn. The review is one of the main chapters of the European Green Deal presented last year by the EU executive, which aims to reduce global warming emissions to net-zero by 2050.<\/p>\n
And chemical recycling could end up playing a key role in the Commission\u2019s new strategy, which Sadauskas said will seek to ensure more coherence between legislation dealing with chemicals, products and waste.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first issue is the presence of banned or restricted substances in waste streams, so-called \u2018legacy chemicals\u2019,\u201d the EU official said, pointing to a lack of information about the presence of toxic substances in certain products.<\/p>\n
Legacy chemicals have been a nagging issue for recyclers, who have so far failed to deal with old plastics that may be \u201ccontaminated\u201d with banned substances.<\/p>\n
EuRIC, a trade association representing the European recycling industries, agrees that chemical recycling could provide a solution to address plastic waste that currently cannot be recovered through traditional \u201cmechanical\u201d sorting methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, EuRIC wishes to underline that chemical recycling cannot be considered as the silver bullet solution as such,\u201d it said in a position paper last year, warning that the term covers \u201ca large number of different technologies,\u201d many of which are still at an early stage of industrial development.<\/p>\n
Moreover, it said those different processes will face the same issues as mechanical recycling, including competition from virgin materials, which are currently cheaper to produce.<\/p>\n
According to EuRIC, the oil price would need to reach at least $65-75 per barrel in order for polymers obtained from chemical recycling to become competitive with virgin materials. Oil prices currently stand around $40 per barrel.<\/p>\n
These doubts are echoed by environmental groups, which issued a technical report earlier this year pointing to the large amounts of energy required by some chemical recycling processes, saying those can pose a climate risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have reservations on the use of chemical recycling which, far from being a mature technology, remains resource- and energy-intensive and which we consider only suited as a last-resort case for plastic which is too degraded, contaminated or too complex to be mechanically recovered,\u201d said Janek Vahk, a campaigner at Zero Waste Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the low oil prices and the type of plastic it addresses, it doesn\u2019t look like it would make economic sense to invest into this kind of infrastructure,\u201d Vahk said.
\nHow Europe\u2019s war on plastics is affecting petrochemicals
\nWith oil use in cars expected to peak in the mid-2020s, oil companies are seeking shelter in petrochemicals \u2013 and plastics \u2013 where demand is still going strong. However, even that notion is now being challenged because of a global plastics backlash led by Europe.<\/p>\n
Recycling targets<\/p>\n
Still, chemical recycling is seen as a promising way of attaining the EU\u2019s ever-higher recycling goals.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, EU legislators agreed a new target to recycle 55% of plastic packaging by 2025. And with tougher targets again being considered under the European Green Deal, new ways to boost recycling rates must be found.<\/p>\n
\u201cChemical recycling shows good potential in helping to achieve a climate neutral circular economy,\u201d said Dr Christian Haessler from German company Covestro, a world-leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials.<\/p>\n
According to Covestro, chemical recycling can complement mechanical recycling techniques and is \u201cparticularly helpful\u201d to recycle plastic waste which would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, we must and will take care that it is competitive in economical as well as ecological terms compared to fossil-based and virgin production routes,\u201d Haessler admitted, saying the company is investing in renewable energies and digitalisation in order to reduce the environmental impact.<\/p>\n
In fact, the industry doesn\u2019t deny the challenges lying ahead. Earlier this year, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia brought together researchers, scientists and industry representatives in order to evaluate some 133 pyrolysis processes currently being envisaged for chemical recycling. Of those, only two were depicted on a pilot scale, the remaining 131 still being on laboratory scale.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be concluded from the overview of the technology readiness of pyrolysis that there is still a considerable need for research and development in the application of chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste,\u201d said their discussion paper, published earlier this year.<\/p>\n
At EU level, research projects have been launched to explore the possibilities offered by chemical recycling, including one called iCAREPLAST and another one called PUReSmart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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