Published August 2023 | 234 pages, 39 tables, 42 figures | Download table of contents
Advanced Chemical Recycling - Next-Gen Technologies to Process Hard-to-Recycle Plastics into New Materials, Fuels and Chemicals
Advanced recycling technologies like pyrolysis and dissolution enable recycling of plastic waste into virgin-quality plastic, oils, and chemicals - expanding recycling potential beyond mechanical methods.
Key technologies:
- Pyrolysis - Thermal degradation in the absence of oxygen
- Gasification - Partial oxidation at high temperatures
- Depolymerization - Breaks polymer chains into monomers
- Dissolution - Uses solvents to dissolve plastics
Benefits:
- Recycles wider range of plastics
- Upcycles waste into high-value materials
- Reduces plastic waste and landfill usage
- Lowers dependence on fossil fuels for plastic production
Market Drivers
- Rising pressure to tackle plastic waste
- Government regulations on circularity and waste reduction
- Consumer demand for eco-friendly plastics
- Plastics bans forcing innovation in recycling
Challenges
- Process economics at scale
- Competition from low-cost virgin plastics
- Feedstock quality and availability
- Lack of standards around recyclate
Advanced Recycling Industry Outlook
The market is projected for rapid growth globally as technology matures and demand for recycled plastics increases.
Key factors:
- Government incentives and plastics waste policies
- Rising adoption from major petrochemical firms
- Proliferation of recycling technologies
- Growing consumer and brand sustainability focus
Advanced recycling will be crucial in moving to circular plastics use and lowering environmental impacts.
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1 CLASSIFICATION OF RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES 13
2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14
3 INTRODUCTION 15
- 3.1 Global production of plastics 15
- 3.2 The importance of plastic 16
- 3.3 Issues with plastics use 16
- 3.4 Bio-based or renewable plastics 17
- 3.4.1 Drop-in bio-based plastics 17
- 3.4.2 Novel bio-based plastics 18
- 3.5 Biodegradable and compostable plastics 19
- 3.5.1 Biodegradability 19
- 3.5.2 Compostability 20
- 3.6 Plastic pollution 20
- 3.7 Policy and regulations 21
- 3.8 The circular economy 22
- 3.9 Plastic recycling 24
- 3.9.1 Mechanical recycling 25
- 3.9.1.1 Closed-loop mechanical recycling 26
- 3.9.1.2 Open-loop mechanical recycling 26
- 3.9.1.3 Polymer types, use, and recovery 26
- 3.9.1 Mechanical recycling 25
- 3.9.2 Advanced recycling (molecular recycling, chemical recycling) 27
- 3.9.2.1 Main streams of plastic waste 28
- 3.9.2.2 Comparison of mechanical and advanced chemical recycling 28
4 THE ADVANCED CHEMICAL RECYCLING MARKET 30
- 4.1 Market drivers and trends 30
- 4.2 Industry developments 2020-2023 31
- 4.3 Capacities 39
- 4.4 Global polymer demand 2022-2040, segmented by recycling technology 41
- 4.5 Global market by recycling process 2020-2024, metric tons 43
- 4.6 Chemically recycled plastic products 44
- 4.7 Market map 45
- 4.8 Value chain 47
- 4.9 Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of advanced plastics recycling processes 48
- 4.10 Market challenges 49
5 ADVANCED RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES 50
- 5.1 Applications 50
- 5.2 Pyrolysis 51
- 5.2.1 Non-catalytic 52
- 5.2.2 Catalytic 53
- 5.2.2.1 Polystyrene pyrolysis 55
- 5.2.2.2 Pyrolysis for production of bio fuel 55
- 5.2.2.3 Used tires pyrolysis 59
- 5.2.2.3.1 Conversion to biofuel 60
- 5.2.2.4 Co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic wastes 61
- 5.2.3 SWOT analysis 62
- 5.2.4 Companies and capacities 63
- 5.3 Gasification 65
- 5.3.1 Technology overview 65
- 5.3.1.1 Syngas conversion to methanol 66
- 5.3.1.2 Biomass gasification and syngas fermentation 70
- 5.3.1.3 Biomass gasification and syngas thermochemical conversion 70
- 5.3.2 SWOT analysis 71
- 5.3.3 Companies and capacities (current and planned) 72
- 5.3.1 Technology overview 65
- 5.4 Dissolution 73
- 5.4.1 Technology overview 73
- 5.4.2 SWOT analysis 74
- 5.4.3 Companies and capacities (current and planned) 75
- 5.5 Depolymerisation 76
- 5.5.1 Hydrolysis 78
- 5.5.1.1 Technology overview 78
- 5.5.1.2 SWOT analysis 79
- 5.5.2 Enzymolysis 80
- 5.5.2.1 Technology overview 80
- 5.5.2.2 SWOT analysis 81
- 5.5.3 Methanolysis 82
- 5.5.3.1 Technology overview 82
- 5.5.3.2 SWOT analysis 83
- 5.5.4 Glycolysis 84
- 5.5.4.1 Technology overview 84
- 5.5.4.2 SWOT analysis 86
- 5.5.5 Aminolysis 87
- 5.5.5.1 Technology overview 87
- 5.5.5.2 SWOT analysis 87
- 5.5.6 Companies and capacities (current and planned) 88
- 5.5.1 Hydrolysis 78
- 5.6 Other advanced chemical recycling technologies 89
- 5.6.1 Hydrothermal cracking 89
- 5.6.2 Pyrolysis with in-line reforming 90
- 5.6.3 Microwave-assisted pyrolysis 90
- 5.6.4 Plasma pyrolysis 91
- 5.6.5 Plasma gasification 92
- 5.6.6 Supercritical fluids 92
- 5.6.7 Carbon fiber recycling 93
- 5.6.7.1 Processes 93
- 5.6.7.2 Companies 96
6 COMPANY PROFILES 97 (159 company profiles)
7 REFERENCES 230
List of Tables
- Table 1. Types of recycling. 13
- Table 2. Issues related to the use of plastics. 16
- Table 3. Type of biodegradation. 20
- Table 4. Overview of the recycling technologies. 25
- Table 5. Polymer types, use, and recovery. 26
- Table 6. Composition of plastic waste streams. 28
- Table 7. Comparison of mechanical and advanced chemical recycling. 28
- Table 8. Market drivers and trends in the advanced chemical recycling market. 30
- Table 9. Advanced chemical recycling industry developments 2020-2023. 31
- Table 10. Advanced plastics recycling capacities, by technology. 39
- Table 11. Example chemically recycled plastic products. 44
- Table 12. Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of Advanced Chemical Recycling Processes. 48
- Table 13. Challenges in the advanced plastics recycling market. 49
- Table 14. Applications of chemically recycled materials. 50
- Table 15. Summary of non-catalytic pyrolysis technologies. 52
- Table 16. Summary of catalytic pyrolysis technologies. 53
- Table 17. Summary of pyrolysis technique under different operating conditions. 57
- Table 18. Biomass materials and their bio-oil yield. 58
- Table 19. Biofuel production cost from the biomass pyrolysis process. 59
- Table 20. Pyrolysis companies and plant capacities, current and planned. 63
- Table 21. Summary of gasification technologies. 65
- Table 22. Advanced recycling (Gasification) companies. 72
- Table 23. Summary of dissolution technologies. 73
- Table 24. Advanced recycling (Dissolution) companies 75
- Table 25. Depolymerisation processes for PET, PU, PC and PA, products and yields. 77
- Table 26. Summary of hydrolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers. 78
- Table 27. Summary of Enzymolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers. 80
- Table 28. Summary of methanolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers. 82
- Table 29. Summary of glycolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers. 84
- Table 30. Summary of aminolysis technologies. 87
- Table 31. Advanced recycling (Depolymerisation) companies and capacities (current and planned). 88
- Table 32. Overview of hydrothermal cracking for advanced chemical recycling. 89
- Table 33. Overview of Pyrolysis with in-line reforming for advanced chemical recycling. 90
- Table 34. Overview of microwave-assisted pyrolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 90
- Table 35. Overview of plasma pyrolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 91
- Table 36. Overview of plasma gasification for advanced chemical recycling. 92
- Table 37. Summary of carbon fiber (CF) recycling technologies. Advantages and disadvantages. 94
- Table 38. Retention rate of tensile properties of recovered carbon fibres by different recycling processes. 95
- Table 39. Recycled carbon fiber producers, technology and capacity. 96
List of Figures
- Figure 1. Global plastics production 1950-2021, millions of tons. 15
- Figure 2. Coca-Cola PlantBottle®. 18
- Figure 3. Interrelationship between conventional, bio-based and biodegradable plastics. 18
- Figure 4. Global production, use, and fate of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives. 21
- Figure 5. The circular plastic economy. 23
- Figure 6. Current management systems for waste plastics. 24
- Figure 7. Global polymer demand 2022-2040, segmented by technology, million metric tons. 42
- Figure 8. Global demand by recycling process, 2020-2040, million metric tons. 43
- Figure 9. Market map for advanced plastics recycling. 47
- Figure 10. Value chain for advanced plastics recycling market. 47
- Figure 11. Schematic layout of a pyrolysis plant. 51
- Figure 12. Waste plastic production pathways to (A) diesel and (B) gasoline 56
- Figure 13. Schematic for Pyrolysis of Scrap Tires. 60
- Figure 14. Used tires conversion process. 61
- Figure 15. SWOT analysis-pyrolysis for advanced recycling. 62
- Figure 16. Total syngas market by product in MM Nm³/h of Syngas, 2021. 66
- Figure 17. Overview of biogas utilization. 68
- Figure 18. Biogas and biomethane pathways. 69
- Figure 19. SWOT analysis-gasification for advanced recycling. 71
- Figure 20. SWOT analysis-dissoluton for advanced recycling. 74
- Figure 21. Products obtained through the different solvolysis pathways of PET, PU, and PA. 76
- Figure 22. SWOT analysis-Hydrolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 79
- Figure 23. SWOT analysis-Enzymolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 81
- Figure 24. SWOT analysis-Methanolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 83
- Figure 25. SWOT analysis-Glycolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 86
- Figure 26. SWOT analysis-Aminolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 87
- Figure 27. NewCycling process. 104
- Figure 28. ChemCyclingTM prototypes. 108
- Figure 29. ChemCycling circle by BASF. 108
- Figure 30. Recycled carbon fibers obtained through the R3FIBER process. 110
- Figure 31. Cassandra Oil process. 121
- Figure 32. CuRe Technology process. 129
- Figure 33. MoReTec. 167
- Figure 34. Chemical decomposition process of polyurethane foam. 170
- Figure 35. Schematic Process of Plastic Energy’s TAC Chemical Recycling. 184
- Figure 36. Easy-tear film material from recycled material. 201
- Figure 37. Polyester fabric made from recycled monomers. 204
- Figure 38. A sheet of acrylic resin made from conventional, fossil resource-derived MMA monomer (left) and a sheet of acrylic resin made from chemically recycled MMA monomer (right). 214
- Figure 39. Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd. Depolymerisation process. 219
- Figure 40. The Velocys process. 225
- Figure 41. The Proesa® Process. 226
- Figure 42. Worn Again products. 228
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