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Plastic Pollution

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Plastic Recycling Technology: A Solution for the Plastic Pollution Crisis

Plastic is one of the most widely used materials in the world, but it also poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. Every year, more than 380 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, but only 9% of it is recycled into new plastics. The rest ends up in landfills, incinerators, or the oceans, where it can harm wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.

To tackle this problem, scientists and engineers are developing new ways to recycle plastic waste more efficiently and sustainably. One of these methods is chemical recycling, which involves breaking down plastic molecules into smaller units that can be used as raw materials for new products.  Plastic Pollution

Q   How does chemical recycling work?

A.  Unlike mechanical recycling, which melts and reshapes plastic waste into new products without changing its chemical structure, chemical recycling transforms plastic waste into different substances. There are several types of chemical recycling technologies, such as pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, and depolymerisation.

Pyrolysis is a process that heats plastic waste in the absence of oxygen, producing a mixture of gases, liquids, and solids. The gases and liquids can be used as fuels or feedstocks for making new plastics or other chemicals. The solids can be used as carbon black, a material used in tyres, rubber products, and ink.

Gasification is a process that converts plastic waste into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, known as syngas. Syngas can be used to generate electricity or to produce synthetic fuels or chemicals.  Plastic Pollution

Hydro-cracking is a process that uses hydrogen and a catalyst to break down plastic waste into smaller hydrocarbon molecules, such as propane or ethane. These molecules can be used as fuels or feedstocks for making new plastics or other chemicals.

Depolymerisation is a process that reverses the polymerisation reaction that forms plastics from monomers. Monomers are the building blocks of plastics, such as ethylene or terephthalate. By using heat, pressure, or catalysts, depolymerisation breaks down plastic waste into its original monomers, which can be purified and reused to make new plastics.

Q    What are the benefits of chemical recycling?

A.  Chemical recycling offers several advantages over mechanical recycling. First, it can recycle plastics that are difficult or impossible to recycle mechanically, such as mixed or contaminated plastics, multilayer plastics, or plastics with additives or colours. Second, it can produce high-quality recycled materials that have similar properties to virgin materials, avoiding the loss of quality or performance that often occurs with mechanical recycling.  Plastic Pollution

Third, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving energy and resources that would otherwise be used to produce new plastics from fossil fuels.Q

Q    What are the challenges of chemical recycling?

A.  Chemical recycling also faces some challenges that need to be overcome before it can be widely adopted. One of them is the high cost and energy consumption of the processes, which depend on the type and quality of the plastic waste and the desired output. Another challenge is the availability and accessibility of suitable plastic waste streams that can be collected and sorted for chemical recycling. A third challenge is the regulation and standardisation of chemical recycling processes and products, which vary across different countries and regions.  Plastic Pollution

Q    How can chemical recycling help solve the plastic pollution crisis?

A.  Chemical recycling is not a silver bullet that can solve the plastic pollution crisis alone. It needs to be combined with other strategies, such as reducing plastic production and consumption, improving plastic design and quality, enhancing mechanical recycling systems and infrastructure, promoting circular economy principles and practices, and raising awareness and education among consumers and stakeholders.

However, chemical recycling can play an important role in closing the loop of plastic waste management and creating a more sustainable future for plastics.

By transforming plastic waste into valuable resources that can be reused again and again, chemical recycling can help reduce environmental impacts, conserve natural resources, create new economic opportunities, and support innovation and development in the plastics industry.  Plastic Pollution

References:

1 Recycling technologies • Plastics Europe

2 The world’s first ‘infinite’ plastic – BBC Future

3 Plastic Recycling Technology: What are the Environmental Benefits …

4 Plastic pollution: how chemical recycling technology could help fix it

5 New process could enable more efficient plastics recycling

EU launches trade attack against China in a war it can’t win

The European Union is preparing new anti-China measures. BYD is sticking Tesla to the crown, but sales are also increasing at other Chinese EV builders. The large state-owned enterprises are investing heavily in emerging high-tech sectors. Human-like robots are in the spotlight, but the gaming sector is also catching up on the AI road. We end with a chips section.  Plastic Pollution

As part of its economic security strategy, the EU Commission has unveiled 4 technologies in which it seeks to de-crist: advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and biotechnology. Although China is not mentioned in particular, it is clear who is targeted. The Commission is now going to flea by the end of the year to what extent the 27 Member States are exposed to risks. Ultimately, restrictions could be placed on the export or investment of European companies in high-tech sub-sectors that are classified as high risk. By next spring, four other technologies would be eligible. It involves advanced connectivity, navigation and digital technology-including IoT and blockchain-advanced sensor technology, space and propulsion technology, energy technology, robotics and advanced materials. of SCMP    Plastic Pollution

EU Commissioner for Justice Reynders has revealed on the French BFM TV that the Commission is considering a similar investigation of the windmills by analogy with the investigation into government support for electric vehicles. Interest association WindEurope has been complaining stone and leg over Chinese competition FT for some time

The European Parliament, for its part, has approved an ‘anti-compulsive’ instrument that would allow Brussels to impose tariffs, quotas, export controls or market frostbites on countries that are believed to engage in economic harassment.

More…

Toray Expanding European Carbon Fiber Production Facilities

Toray Industries, Inc., announced that it has decided to expand French subsidiary Toray Carbon Fibers Europe S.A.’s production facilities for regular tow* medium- and high-modulus carbon fibers. This move will increase annual capacity at the Abidos plant (South-West France) from 5,000 metric tons annually, to 6,000 metric tons. Production is expected to start in 2025.  Plastic Pollution
Demand for medium- and high-modulus carbon fibers is rising in Europe, driven by a push to move towards a net-zero society. This growth is mainly due to higher build rates for commercial aircrafts (secondary structures and engines), as well as centrifuge for energy production, satellites, and high-end automobiles. By boosting carbon fiber production capacity in Europe, Toray is responding to its customers’ demand for medium and high-modulus carbon fibers, as befits the market leader.

Toray has made sustainable growth pivotal to Project AP-G 2025, its medium-term management program. Accordingly, the company has developed solutions to tackle climate change with its carbon fiber composite materials. Toray will fully leverage its resources to help achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, in keeping with its corporate philosophy of contributing to society by creating new value.  Plastic Pollution

More…

 World plastic production and consumption per capita

• The worldwide production of plastics reached a staggering 390.7 million metric tons in 2021¹. This marks a significant increase of four percent from the previous year². Plastics production has soared since 1950s². The global plastic use is estimated to increase from 460 million metric tons in 2019 to 1231 million metric tons in 2060³.  Plastic Pollution
• At 139 kg per capita per year (not including fiber and rubber polymers) North America has the highest per capita plastic consumption in the world and represents 19% of global plastics production and 21% of consumption³. The global plastic waste generation more than doubled from 2000 to 2019 to 353 million metric tons⁴. There is a positive correlation between per capita plastic waste generation and GDP per capita, meaning that richer countries tend to produce more plastic waste per person⁵.

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering plastic waste and transforming it into new products.    Plastic Pollution

There are different methods of plastic recycling, such as mechanical, chemical and direct recycling¹. Here is a brief overview of each method:

• Mechanical recycling is the most common and widely used method of plastic recycling. It involves physically shredding, washing, melting and reforming plastic waste into granules or pellets that can be used to make new plastic products². Mechanical recycling preserves the molecular structure of the original plastic, but it also reduces its quality and performance over time due to degradation and contamination³. Mechanical recycling is suitable for clean and homogeneous plastic waste streams, such as bottles or containers, but it has limitations for dealing with complex or mixed plastic waste, such as films or laminates².  Plastic Pollution
• Chemical recycling is the process of breaking down plastic waste into its basic chemical components, such as monomers, oligomers, oils or gases, using heat, pressure or catalysts². Chemical recycling can then convert these components into new raw materials for the production of plastics or other products, such as fuels or chemicals². Chemical recycling can overcome some of the challenges of mechanical recycling, such as dealing with mixed or contaminated plastic waste, and producing high-quality recycled plastics that can be used in demanding applications, such as food contact². However, chemical recycling also has some drawbacks, such as high energy consumption, environmental impacts and technical complexity³.  Plastic Pollution
• Direct recycling is a relatively new and emerging method of plastic recycling that aims to directly reuse plastic waste without changing its chemical structure or properties⁴. Direct recycling involves heating and compressing plastic waste into solid shapes that can be used as building materials, furniture or art objects⁴. Direct recycling can offer a simple and low-cost solution for diverting plastic waste from landfills or incineration, and creating new value from waste⁴. However, direct recycling also has some limitations, such as low aesthetic appeal, limited functionality and durability, and potential health risks due to leaching of additives or contaminants⁴.  Plastic Pollution

The plastic recycling metric ton by 2022 is not easy to estimate, as there are different sources and methods of measuring plastic waste and recycling.

We can resume so :

• One source¹ states that the worldwide production of plastics reached a staggering 390.7 million metric tons in 2021, and that only 15% of the global plastic waste was collected for recycling in 2019¹. Assuming that these trends continue, we can estimate that the plastic recycling metric ton by 2022 would be around 58.6 million metric tons (15% of 390.7 million metric tons).
• Another source² provides a more detailed breakdown of plastic waste generation and management by region and application. According to this source, the global plastic waste generation was 353.3 million metric tons in 2019, and it is projected to increase to 375.8 million metric tons by 2022². The source also estimates that the global plastic waste recycling rate was 9% in 2019, and it is projected to increase to 10% by 2022².
• Based on these projections, we can estimate that the plastic recycling metric ton by 2022 would be around 37.6 million metric tons (10% of 375.8 million metric tons).  Plastic Pollution
• A third source³ reports that of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics ever produced until 2015, only 9% has been recycled, and that the vast majority (79%) is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter³. The source does not provide any projections for the future, but if we assume that the same recycling rate applies to the plastics produced in 2021 and 2022, we can estimate that the plastic recycling metric ton by 2022 would be around 35.2 million metric tons (9% of 390.7 million metric tons).

As you can see, these estimates vary widely depending on the data source and methodology used. Therefore, it is important to be cautious and critical when interpreting these numbers, and to consider the uncertainties and limitations involved in measuring plastic waste and recycling.  Plastic Pollution

Recycling Technology – Petrochemicals Polymers – German industrial orders rebound in August but outlook uncertain  09-10-2023

Plastic Pollution