🌱 Bioplastics Portal

Chemical Recycling

Technology Also known as: Advanced Recycling, Feedstock Recycling, Molecular Recycling

Quick Overview

Chemical recycling breaks plastics down to molecular building blocks for virgin-quality recycled materials.

Related terms: mechanical-recycling pyrolysis depolymerization circular-economy mass-balance-approach

Overview

Advanced recycling technologies that break down polymers into monomers or feedstocks through chemical processes (pyrolysis, depolymerization, solvolysis, gasification), enabling infinite recycling loops unlike mechanical recycling.

Key Concepts

Chemical recycling breaks plastics down to molecular building blocks for virgin-quality recycled materials.

Industry Landscape

Major Companies & Projects

Alterra Energy, Neste, TotalEnergies, BASF, SABIC, LyondellBasell, Covestro, Technip Energies are actively developing chemical recycling technologies and applications.

Applications

Mixed plastic waste, Contaminated plastics, Multi-layer packaging, Food-grade recycled content

Standards & Certifications

ISCC PLUS, RSB, ISO 15270

mechanical-recycling, pyrolysis, depolymerization, circular-economy, mass-balance-approach

Further Reading

  • Industry reports from Nova-Institute, European Bioplastics, ISCC
  • Peer-reviewed literature in Green Chemistry, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
  • Regulatory updates from EU Commission, USDA BioPreferred, FDA

Standards & Certifications

  • ISCC PLUS
  • RSB
  • ISO 15270

Major Producers

  • Alterra Energy
  • Neste
  • TotalEnergies
  • BASF
  • SABIC
  • LyondellBasell
  • Covestro
  • Technip Energies

Key Applications

  • Mixed plastic waste
  • Contaminated plastics
  • Multi-layer packaging
  • Food-grade recycled content

📰 Latest News on Chemical Recycling

View all Chemical Recycling news →