Plastics : Chemical Recycling Scalability

Chemical recycling is revolutionizing how we handle plastic waste by breaking down polymers into their basic chemical building blocks, which can then be rebuilt into new plastics of the same quality as virgin materials, something traditional mechanical recycling often can't achieve.

What is chemical recycling?

Unlike traditional recycling that melts and reshapes plastics (which degrades quality each time)

Chemical recycling uses heat, solvents, or other chemical processes to break plastic down to its molecular level. 

It like unbuilding a structure back to individual blocks, which can then be used to build something completely new and just as strong as the original.
Mechanical recycling is like tearing up a structure and trying to make a new structure from the scraps. You get lower quality each time. 

Chemical recycling is like breaking the structure back down to its raw material, which can make a new structure just as good as the first.

Main chemical recycling technologies:

Pyrolysis (Breaking Down with Heat):

Plastic waste is heated to 300-700°C in an oxygen-free environment, breaking molecular bonds and converting plastic back into oil, gas, and char.

Example: 

Quantafuel in Norway operates a pyrolysis plant that processes 16,000 tons of plastic waste annually. 

They take mixed plastic waste (including multilayer packaging that can't be mechanically recycled) and convert it into pyrolysis oil that chemical companies use to make new plastics.

Process Flow:

• Input: mixed plastic waste (bags, films, multilayer packaging)
• Preparation: shredding and cleaning
• Pyrolysis: heating in oxygen-free reactor
• Output: pyrolysis oil (70%), gas for energy (20%), char (10%)
• End use: oil goes to petrochemical plants to make new virgin-quality plastics

Depolymerization (Chemical Breakdown):

Uses solvents, enzymes, or other chemicals to break specific types of plastic back into their original monomers (building blocks).

Solvents are liquids that dissolve other substances, like how water dissolves sugar or alcohol dissolves ink
Enzymes are natural proteins that speed up chemical reactions, like how digestive enzymes in your stomach break down food

Example: 

Loop Industries has developed a process specifically for PET plastics (water bottles, food containers). 

Their technology breaks PET down into its two basic components, which are then used to make new PET that's identical to virgin plastic.

Process in Action:

• Input: ued PET bottles and containers
• Chemical breakdown: proprietary solvent process
• Purification: remove all contaminants and additives
• Output: pure monomers ready for repolymerization (rebuilding plastic from its broken-down pieces)
• Result: new PET bottles indistinguishable from virgin plastic

Gasification (complete molecular breakdown):

Extremely high temperatures (700-1000°C) with controlled oxygen break plastic down into basic molecules like hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which become building blocks for new chemicals.

Example: 

Enerkem in Canada operates a facility that takes mixed municipal solid waste (including non-recyclable plastics) and converts it into methanol through gasification. The methanol is then used to make new chemicals and materials.

Scalability challenges and solutions:

Economics of Scale:

• Current Challenge: chemical recycling plants require massive upfront investments, typically $100-500 million per facility.
• Scaling Solution: companies are developing modular systems that can start smaller and expand.

Example: 

Brightmark Energy uses modular pyrolysis units that can be deployed in $260 million phases. Their first facility in Indiana processes 100,000 tons annually, but the modular design allows adding capacity as waste volumes and economics improve.

Economic breakdown:

• Traditional approach: build one massive $400M facility
• Modular approach: start with $100M module, add more as demand grows
• Benefit: lower risk, faster deployment, ability to optimize between modules

Feedstock quality and consistency:

• Challenge: chemical recycling needs consistent, clean feedstock, but waste streams are highly variable.
• Solution: advanced sorting and preprocessing systems that can handle mixed waste.
• Implementation: BASF and Quantafuel partnership uses advanced sorting to separate different plastic types from mixed waste. AI-powered sorting identifies and separates materials that work best for different chemical processes.

Example:

• Mixed waste input: everything from household recycling
• AI sorting: Identifies PET for depolymerization, PE/PP for pyrolysis
• Preprocessing: washing, shredding, removing contaminants
• Routing: each plastic type goes to optimal chemical process
• Output: multiple high-quality chemical products

Technology integration and optimization:

• Challenge: different chemical recycling technologies work best for different materials and scales.
• Solution: integrated facilities that combine multiple technologies.

Example: 

Plastic Energy and ExxonMobil collaboration in Texas will process 30,000 tons annually using multiple chemical recycling technologies in one facility

Pyrolysis for mixed plastic films and bags:

• Depolymerization for PET containers
• Gasification for contaminated or mixed materials
• Shared infrastructure for utilities, logistics, and product handling

Current Scale Implementation Examples:

Industrial Scale (Eastman Chemical):

• Project: $1 billion investment in chemical recycling facilities 
• Capacity: 250,000 tons annually by 2026 

Technology: 

• Molecular recycling that breaks down waste into basic molecules 
• Could handle waste equivalent to 2.5 billion bottles annually

Process Scale:

• Input: mixed plastic waste from across the southeastern US
• Transportation: rail and truck networks bringing waste to central facility
• Processing: continuous operation, 24/7 processing
• Output: high-quality materials for food packaging, textiles, auto parts

Regional Scale (Agilyx corporation):

• Approach: distributed smaller facilities serving regional markets 
• Facility size: 10,000-20,000 tons annually per location 
• Advantage: lower transportation costs, closer to waste sources

Implementation:

• Oregon facility: processes polystyrene waste (foam containers, cups)
• Tigard operation: converts waste into styrene oil for new plastic production
• Regional model: plans for 20+ similar facilities across North America
• Municipal Integration: city of Houston Partnership
• Model: chemical recycling integrated with municipal waste management 
• Partners: city government, waste management companies, chemical recyclers 
• Scale: processing 50,000 tons of previously non-recyclable plastic annually

Integration Process:

• Collection: enhanced municipal pickup for previously non-recyclable plastics
• Sorting: upgraded material recovery facility with chemical recycling sorting
• Processing: local chemical recycling facility
• Products: materials sold back to local manufacturers
• Economics: revenue sharing between city, waste companies, and recyclers

Scaling success factors:

Waste stream development:

• Challenge: securing consistent supply of appropriate waste materials.
• Solution: long-term contracts with waste management companies and manufacturers.

Example: 

Renewlogy has secured agreements with major retailers and municipalities to guarantee feedstock supply for their pyrolysis facilities. Walmart commits specific volumes of plastic film waste, ensuring the facility has consistent input materials.

Product Market Development:

• Challenge: creating demand for chemically recycled materials.
• Solution: brand commitments and regulatory requirements driving demand.

Example:

• Unilever committed to using 100,000 tons of chemically recycled plastic annually
• P&G invested in Loop Industries to secure recycled PET supply
• Coca-Cola testing chemically recycled PET in new bottles
• Regulatory push: EU requirements for recycled content creating guaranteed markets

Technology standardization:

• Challenge: multiple competing technologies make scaling decisions difficult.
• Solution: industry collaboration on standards and best practices.

Example: 

The Chemical Recycling Alliance has developed standard testing protocols and quality specifications that allow different facilities to produce materials that meet consistent industry standards.

Economic scaling model:

Cost reduction through scale:

Small facility (10,000 tons/year):

• Processing cost are around $800-1,200 per ton
• High labor and overhead costs per unit

Large facility (100,000+ tons/year):

• Processing cost is about $400-600 per ton
• Automated systems, economies of scale

Network effect (multiple connected facilities):

• Shared "Research & Development" and optimization
• Standardized equipment and maintenance
• Coordinated feedstock and product logistics

Revenue optimization:

Traditional model (Sell recycled materials as commodity):  

• Advanced model: produce specialized chemicals for higher-value applications

Brightmark's Illinois facility produces:

• Base chemicals: $800-1,000 per ton
• Specialty waxes: $1,500-2,000 per ton
• Ultra-clean fuels: $1,200-1,500 per ton

Current Limitations and Solutions:

Energy Intensity:

• Challenge: chemical recycling requires significant energy input.
• Solution: integration with renewable energy and energy recovery systems.

Enerkem's facilities use waste-derived gas to power their own operations, achieving energy self-sufficiency while processing waste.

Environmental Impact:

• Challenge: chemical processes can produce emissions and byproducts.
• Solution: advanced emission controls and beneficial use of byproducts.
• Implementation: modern pyrolysis facilities capture and use process gases for energy, treat emissions to exceed environmental standards, and find uses for all byproducts.

Chemical recycling scalability isn't just about building bigger plants.

It's about creating integrated systems that connect waste collection, processing, and product manufacturing into a circular economy that can handle the scale of our global plastic waste challenge.