Chemical Processing of Plastic Waste – Pyrolysis

In a previous July 12, 2019 blog (click here to read), I provided some data on the amount of plastic waste globally generated each year and how much of it is recycled, either by mechanical or chemical processes.

In this blog, I am identifying four chemical companies that are developing one of the chemical methods – pyrolysis – for recycling plastic waste (other chemical methods, e.g., solvolysis and gasification, will be written about in future blogs).  Extensively searching the Internet, I could find that four of the fifty largest global chemical companies (the fifty being based on the 2018 Chemical and Engineering News report identifying the top fifty; click here to read report) have pilot investigations of technologies and processes for recycling waste plastics using pyrolysis.  The following is a brief description of what each is doing:

BASF, at the pilot plant level, has generated new plastics from the cracking of pyrolysis oil.  The pyrolysis oil was provided by Recenso.   The plastics are being tested by BASF partners who might be eventual buyers of the plastics.  So far, the plastics have been meeting necessary use standards. 

Dow has signed an agreement with the Dutch company Fuenix Ecology Group to buy pyrolysis oil from Fuenix.  Fuenix produces the pyrolysis oil from waste plastics.  Dow will process the oil into new polymers at its Terneuzen, Netherlands plant.  Dow has a goal of incorporating 100,000 metric tons of pyrolysis oil into its plastic production by 2025. 

Ineos Styrolution, a subsidiary of Ineos, has entered into a joint development agreement with Agilyx for a recycling plant at its polystyrene plant in Illinois.  Agilyx’s pyrolysis process for recycling waste polystyrene will be used at the plant.

Sabic is investigating the introduction of volumes of pyrolysis oil feedstock, provided to it by the company Plastic Energy, into Sabic’s cracker at Geleen, the Netherlands, producing polyethylene and polypropylene.  The pyrolysis oil was produced by Plastic Energy from mixed plastic wastes.

It is interesting that each of the four companies have agreements with other, smaller companies to provide the pyrolysis oil.  This suggests the need for agreements with various contributors in a complex undertaking that recycling plastics appears to be.  It also might be a strategy that serves the larger companies well, in case recycling plastic wastes by pyrolysis does not develop into a successful business for these companies. 

An excellent report from BCG (Boston Consulting Group), entitled “A Circular Solution to Plastic Waste”, is summarized at this link.  The full report can be read by clicking here (pdf file).  This report identifies well the challenges, advantages, economics, and other aspects of the chemical processing of plastics waste by pyrolysis.