‘Renewing’ Plastic: Breakthrough in the Recycling Industry?

6th December 2023:

In the global effort towards a sustainable future against plastic pollution, advanced research might have
found the ultimate solution – Pyrolysis technology to recycle plastics. Recent publication by Science of
the Total Environment has highlighted the increased focus on using groundbreaking technologies to turn
plastic into valuable resources and promote a circular loop, providing economic and environmental
benefits.

Pyrolysis is a chemical process in which decomposition of organic materials takes place in less or in
absence of oxygen in elevated temperatures (300 – 900oc) mostly used to convert biomass, plastics, and
other carbon containing materials into biofuels, chemicals, and raw materials for new plastics.

Although incineration and mechanical recycling are one of the most commonly adopted techniques
currently, they produce significantly higher carbon footprint than pyrolysis potentially causing more
harm to the environment. With the establishment of two recycling facilities in Goa, India in 2016
through a public-private partnership with MK Aromatics Ltd achieving over 80% yield in high-quality
plastic waste conversion, experts highlight the potential for a large-scale adoption of pyrolysis
technology for waste management.

Sustainability expert McKinsey suggests pyrolysis to be one of the most profitable recycling processes in
the future and could help account for at least two-thirds of the profit growth of plastic and
petrochemical industry by 2030. Pyrolysis holds approximately 45% of the total shares in the technology
market as of 2018, and has the potential to help plastic-to-fuel market escalate to USD 2.33 billion
industry by 2026.

However, several environmental and regulatory considerations need to be addressed for the
widespread adoption of pyrolysis. Establishing pyrolysis plants require significant budget which could
affect its economic viability. It requires collaboration between stakeholders, regulatory bodies, and
environmental experts to contribute positively to sustainable practices. Compliance to regulations is
obligatory to foster public trust.

Postdoctoral Research Associates at University of Illinois Kunwar et. al have noted, “the issue of
disposing of plastic waste and environmental effect makes the production of fuel from plastic
economically attractive in the longer term. Certainly continued research and development is needed in
this field.”

Contact information

Bhavika Giri

bhavika.giri@student.plymouth.ac.uk
Press Release based on:

Sakthipriya, N. (2022) ‘Plastic waste management: A road map to achieve circular economy and
recent innovations in pyrolysis’. Science of the total environment 809 pp.151160. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151160

Reference:

Kunwar, B., Cheng, H. N., Chandrashekaran, S. R., & Sharma, B. K. (2016). Plastics to fuel: A
Review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 54 pp.421–428. doi:
10.1016/j.rser.2015.10.015