How much potential is there in chemical recycling?

The trend is positive. According to the latest statistics by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR), more packaging was recycled by the dual systems in 2023 compared to the previous year. The proportion of plastic packaging recycled from 2018 to 2023 rose from 42.1percent to 68.9 percent.

In Germany, around two thirds of waste, or more precisely the volume of lightweight packaging, is mechanically recycled. Chemical recycling can be an alternative to incineration for the remaining quantities. This is because chemical recycling is said to offer the possibility of removing harmful substances.

Companies from the recycling, petrochemical, and plastics industries are currently working together to expand chemical recycling. Waste management company Interzero sees great potential in this, as Dr. Richard von Goetze, Head of Chemical Recycling at Interzero, explains. By 2026, Interzero wants to be using chemical recycling on a large scale.

The term chemical recycling covers various recycling technologies. What they all have in common is that liquid resources are produced from waste containing plastics, enabling the production of recyclates in virgin material quality. “Chemical recycling generally refers to technologies that break down long polymer chains into their basic building blocks through chemical reactions,” explains Dr. Christoph Gahn, Vice President Chemical Recycling BASF. Companies such as packaging manufacturer Südpack are also among those investing in chemical recycling. This process is increasingly backed by researchers. “Chemical recycling can handle material flows that cannot be mechanically recycled – and thus conserve resources and avoid waste incineration,” says Dr. Markus Hiebel, Head of the Sustainability and Participation Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT.

However, no chemical recycling technology has yet reached market maturity. However, some suppliers have made great progress and are on the verge of commercializing plants with relevant capacities.

The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) and the association of plastics producers Plastics Europe Deutschland (PED) have presented a position paper on the measurement of recycled content in plastic products. Their aim is to promote chemical recycling processes as a supplement to mechanical processes.

The proposed assessment basis is referred to as the mass balance approach. According to the two associations, this approach allows the proportion of recycled raw materials to be allocated to an end product in a comprehensible manner.

In a recent study, the Federal Environment Agency, comes to the following conclusion: Chemical plastics recycling can – in technically mature, energy-integrated and optimized plants – make a positive contribution to the circular economy. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced compared to thermal treatment. From an energy perspective, however, the complex approach is currently not the optimal solution as long as high-quality fossil raw materials are burned elsewhere to provide thermal energy. FACHPACK 360° contacted the Federal Environment Agency to find out more. Dr. Julia Vogel, Head of Waste Technology, Waste Technology Transfer, answered the questions.

3 Questions – 3 Answers

What potential does the Federal Environment Agency see for chemical recycling in the packaging sector?

In principle, plastic packaging should primarily be recycled materially (mechanically, physically; while retaining the plastic/polymer chains). This is more energy-efficient and ecologically sensible. One premise of packaging design must, therefore, be that it is recyclable. Plastic packaging that is not materially recyclable, sorting residues or processing residues from material recycling, which have so far been used for energy recovery, would be a potential input for chemical recycling.

Chemical recycling processes are seen as a necessary prerequisite, particularly for meeting the post-consumer recyclate use rates specified in the EU Packaging Regulation (applicable from 2030 and increasing again from 2040) for contact-sensitive plastic packaging - especially for packaging that is not made of PET but of PP, PE, or PS. This is because EU Regulation 2022/1616 currently only classifies mechanical recycling processes for PET plastic waste and plastic waste from closed and monitored product loops as suitable for the production of plastic recyclates for food contact materials. It is currently not foreseeable whether further mechanical recycling processes will be available for food contact materials by 2030.

Chemical recycling consumes too much energy, say critics. Why do they still see it as a step towards a circular economy?

Chemical recycling can be a sensible alternative to energy recovery if material recycling is not possible or if material recycling does not result in the desired recyclate qualities.

In chemical recycling, monomers or raw materials for the chemical industry are recovered and do not have to be newly produced, which means that fossil raw materials can be saved. Recycling is, therefore, one of the main pillars when it comes to de-fossilizing the chemical industry (alongside the use of bio-based raw materials or the use of CO2 (CCU)). Although the priority here should be on material processes, not all plastic waste can be recycled mechanically, and the necessary recyclate qualities cannot be achieved for all applications. Chemical processes could offer a good supplement in these cases.

How should chemical recycling be expanded throughout Germany and the EU? Is the status quo still more at the research level?

When expanding chemical recycling, ecological criteria (e.g. energy input, yield) must be considered so that the most ecologically sensible option (mechanical recycling, chemical recycling or, under certain circumstances, energy recovery) is always selected depending on the waste stream. Care must be taken to avoid competition for the same plastic waste, i.e. chemical recycling processes should focus on plastic waste that cannot be recycled mechanically. The technologies must, ultimately, prove themselves on the market.

By Anna Ntemiris, editor