Page 67 - Plastics News Issue November - 2024
P. 67
IN THE NEWS
temperatures. It transforms the plastic into lows specific plastics to be recycled. Chemi-
syngas, a gas composed of carbon monox- cal recycling on the other hand can take a
ide and hydrogen for the most part. Syngas much broader range of feedstock, it can
can be utilized for energy purposes or can take plastic waste that is contaminated or
be further converted into new products as mis-sorted or multi-layered. This means that
ethanol and methanol. It is most suitable for a higher percentage of plastics received an
conversion of various type of plastics espe- appropriate treatment so that they are not
cially those that are mixed with food or any likely to end up in dumps or be burned.
other substance.
2. Production of High-Quality Plastics: Chemi-
c. Depolymerization: An example of recycling cal recycling is different from mechanical
is depolymerisation process, which is the recycling in which over time reduces the
breaking of polymers (the major units that standard of the plastic used. This makes it
constitute plastics) into their monomers. possible to formulate new plastics that are
This makes it possible to develop new plas- as good as virgin material for use in higher
tics with identical characteristics to virgin performance applications including packag-
material without the usual loss of efficiency ing of foodstuffs or manufacturing of medi-
in mechanical recycling. Another reason de- cal equipments.
polymerization is useful is because it is ap-
propriate for recycling polyethylene tereph- 3. Supports a Circular Economy: Chemical re-
thalate also known as PET a product reliant cycling takes its role to contribute to the cir-
on drinks bottles and packaging. cular economy model for plastics for recy-
cling of materials to go around in circles. It
d. Solvent-Based Recycling: In solvent-based is an important feature of circular economy
recycling, polymers used in plastics are wherein resources are utilized and recycled
dissolved in solvent to filter out such com- and not disposed after once use. Chemical
ponents such as food residues or ink. The recycling of plastics not only reinvents the
cleaned polymers can then be used to pre- used plastic waste as usable commodities
cipitate out of solution and are used again but also helps to curb exploitation of natural
to manufacture more plastics. It turns out resources for formation of new fossil based
effective for deplored plastics, which might plastics.
not readily be reused in other production
lines otherwise. 4. Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
Synthetic or plastic production is also one
Benefits of Chemical Recycling of the significant sources of greenhouse gas
emission since it has implicates that involve
Chemical recycling is one mechanism that pre- the use of fossil fuel. Thus, saving plastics in-
sents several advantages that can make a solu- stead of creating new ones – chemical recy-
tion for global plastic waste. Some of the key cling is essential in preventing an excess of
advantages include: carbon emissions from the plastic industry.
1. Ability to Recycle a Wider Range of Plastics: Also, in chemical recycling like the gasifica-
Mechanical recycling has been christened a tion processes, the generated syngas can
rather limited technique because it only al- be used as a cleaner type of energy.
November 2024 PLASTICS NEWS 67
