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ENVIRONMENT NEWS
hydrometallurgy. Research institutions, including ensuring that any skill requirements arising from
IITs and CSIR laboratories, have already devel- the scheme can be met through collaboration
oped indigenous processes for metal recovery between academia and industry.
and purification. These institutes are also provid- Source - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
ing training in mineral extraction and processing,
ETH ZURICH AND BASF PIONEER RECYCLING
OF AUTOMOTIVE SHREDDER RESIDUE AND BIO-WASTE INTO HIGH-VALUE FEEDSTOCK
The study builds on a gasification pilot project
conducted in mid-2025 by BASF and BEST
GmbH (Austria). For the first time, biomass and
plastic waste from automotive shredder resi-
dues were co-gasified in BEST’s pilot plant.
The process converts biomass and plastic waste
into steam and synthesis gas, which can be used
as feedstock for chemical production. This ap-
proach helps replace fossil raw materials and
contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emis-
sions by keeping carbon in circulation.
TH Zurich has shown in a new study that To enable broader industrial application, the re-
gasification of automotive shredder resi- searchers point out the need for a regulatory
Edue mixed with bio-waste saves green- framework that classifies mixed plastic waste as
house gas emissions if compared to incineration recyclable and supports the replacement of fos-
with energy recovery. At the same time a new, sil feedstocks with alternative materials derived
circular feedstock for the chemical industry is from waste and biomass. While the gasification
generated of bio-waste is already supported in EU poli-
cies—stimulating investment in sectors such as
According to the results, processing one kilo- maritime and aviation fuels—no equivalent sup-
gram of automotive shredder residue with three port exists for gasifying plastic waste.
kilograms of biomass reduces greenhouse gas
emissions by more than three kilograms of According to the project partners, it would be
CO equivalents compared to energy recovery more efficient to enable multi-purpose gasifica-
2
through incineration. The findings are relevant tion plants for both bio-waste and plastic waste
for current discussions on upcoming EU legisla- under an audited, flexible mass-balance system.
tion on end-of-life vehicles.
The potential of non-fossil feedstock from auto-
November 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 29
