Greenhouse gas benefits from direct chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste

Hulst, Mitchell K. van der; Ottenbros, Anne B.; Drift, Bram van der; Ferjan, Špela; Harmelen, Toon van; Schwarz, Anna; Worrell, Ernst; Zelm, Rosalie van; Huijbregts, Mark A. J.; Hauck, Mara

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106582

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Gasification enables the transformation of PVC into syngas, which consists of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and small amounts of methane 159 . Syngas can serve as a versatile feedstock for producing various chemicals, including methanol and ammonia, or as a source of energy through combustion or in gas turbines 148 …”

Section: Conventional Pvc Recycling Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…159 Syngas can serve as a versatile feedstock for producing various chemicals, including methanol and ammonia, or as a source of energy through combustion or in gas turbines. 148 Solvolysis (see Figure 6), the third method of feedstock recycling, utilizes solvents to dissolve PVC waste and facilitate the recovery of valuable chemical components. 150 Solvolysis processes can be categorized as hydrolysis, aminolysis, ammonolysis, methanolysis, or glycolysis, depending on the type of solvent employed.…”

Section: Feedstock Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Feedstock recycling, known as chemical recycling, refers to the process of breaking down plastic waste into its basic constituents, such as monomers or oligomers, to be used as a feedstock for the production of new plastic or chemical products. 148,149 This process encompasses a range of techniques (see Figure 4), including hydrothermal treatment, gasification, catalytic cracking and reforming, hydrogenation, and chemical depolymerization. [150][151][152] Pyrolysis involves the thermal decomposition of PVC waste in the absence of oxygen, resulting in the formation of different products.…”

Section: Feedstock Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Recent advances in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling

Ait‐Touchente,

Khellaf,

Raffin

et al. 2023

Polymers for Advanced Techs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling is crucial for mitigating the environmental impact of PVC wastes, which take decades to decompose in landfills. This review examines the current state of PVC recycling processes, focusing on challenges and future research opportunities. It explores the types and sources of PVC wastes, including post‐consumer, industrial, and construction wastes. Conventional recycling methods such as mechanical, thermal, and chemical recycling are discussed, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and successful applications. Furthermore, recent advances in PVC recycling, including biological, plasma‐assisted, and solvent‐based recycling, are explored, considering their potential benefits and challenges. The review emphasizes the European context of PVC recycling, as the region has implemented regulatory initiatives and collaborations. It points out the Circular Economy Action Plan and directives targeting PVC waste management, which have promoted recycling and established a supportive framework. Challenges of current PVC recycling methods and technologies, such as low yield and high energy consumption, are identified. The review calls for the development of efficient and cost‐effective recycling technologies, along with improvements in recycling infrastructure and consumer awareness. Assessing the environmental and economic impacts, PVC recycling significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves resources compared to virgin PVC production. The economic benefits include job creation and reduced raw material costs.

show abstract

Section: Conventional Pvc Recycling Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feedstock Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feedstock Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Recent advances in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling

Ait‐Touchente,

Khellaf,

Raffin

et al. 2023

Polymers for Advanced Techs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In contrast, Lin et al found higher GHG emissions for starch-based p -xylene compared to petroleum-based p -xylene. LCA studies that compare alternative treatments of mixed plastic waste showed that chemical recycling, i.e., using plastic waste to produce chemicals, results in lower GHG emissions than incineration with energy recovery. , This finding points in the direction that BTX production might be a relatively climate-beneficial use of mixed plastic waste . How the plastic waste-based BTX is compared to fossil BTX is, however, still unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Environmental Sustainability of Alternative Ways to Produce Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene

Zuiderveen,

Caldeira,

Vries

et al. 2024

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The petrochemical industry can reduce its environmental impacts by moving from fossil resources to alternative carbon feedstocks. Biomass and plastic waste-based production pathways have recently been developed for benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX). This study evaluates the environmental impacts of these novel BTX pathways at a commercial and future (2050) scale, combining traditional life cycle assessment with absolute environmental sustainability assessment using the planetary boundary concept. We show that plastic waste-based BTX has lower environmental impacts than fossil BTX, including a 12% decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Biomass-based BTX shows greater GHG emission reductions (42%), but it causes increased freshwater consumption and eutrophication. Toward 2050, GHG emission reductions become 75 and 107% for plastic waste and biobased production, respectively, compared to current fossil-BTX production. When comparing alternative uses of plastic waste, BTX production has larger climate benefits than waste incineration with energy recovery with a GHG benefit of 1.1 kg CO 2 -equiv/kg plastic waste. For biomass (glycerol)-based BTX production, other uses of glycerol are favorable over BTX production. While alternative BTX production pathways can decrease environmental impacts, they still transgress multiple planetary boundaries. Further impact reduction efforts are thus required, such as using other types of (waste) biomass, increasing carbon recycling, and abatement of end-of-life emissions.

show abstract

“…Chemical recycling has recently gained attention for providing valuable feedstock that could replace fossil resources and help transition to a circular carbon economy, − thereby avoiding the environmental impacts of incinerating and landfilling wP. − For instance, waste polyethylene and polypropylene can undergo pyrolysis to recover their respective monomers − or gasification to produce synthesis gas (a mixture of H 2 , CO, and CO 2 ), widespread in chemical production. , Although monomers should be the ultimate goal in chemical recycling, the gasification route appears easier to implement, is more mature, and can handle mixed-polymer inlet streams …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Hydrogen from Waste Polymers

Salah

Cobo

Pérez‐Ramírez

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rising demand for single-use polymers calls for alternative waste treatment pathways to ensure a circular economy. Here, we explore hydrogen production from waste polymer gasification (wPG) to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic incineration and landfilling while generating a valuable product. We assess the carbon footprint of 13 H2 production routes and their environmental sustainability relative to the planetary boundaries (PBs) defined for seven Earth-system processes, covering H2 from waste polymers (wP; polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene), and a set of benchmark technologies including H2 from natural gas, biomass, and water splitting. Our results show that wPG coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS) could reduce the climate change impact of fossil-based and most electrolytic routes. Moreover, due to the high price of wP, wPG would be more expensive than its fossil- and biomass-based analogs but cheaper than the electrolytic routes. The absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) revealed that all pathways would transgress at least one downscaled PB, yet a portfolio was identified where the current global H2 demand could be met without transgressing any of the studied PBs, which indicates that H2 from plastics could play a role until chemical recycling technologies reach a sufficient maturity level.

show abstract

Greenhouse gas benefits from direct chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste

Cited by 18 publications

References 19 publications

Recent advances in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling

Recent advances in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling

Evaluating the Environmental Sustainability of Alternative Ways to Produce Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene

Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Hydrogen from Waste Polymers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About