A spectrum of plastics has been produced by US production across the last 70 years. Plastic debris has become ubiquitous to the landscape and aquatic resources leading to human health concerns and sustainability issues. In the intervening time, plastic production increased faster than that of any other manufactured material. The current recycling of all plastic materials is pegged at 10% or less. Plastics’ social value is reflected in its myriad uses for engineered durability to single-use applications. Past disposal practices relied on waste plastic flows to certain countries as a solution but these have been summarily curtailed. Disposable or single-use plastic items have become a major disposal problem with severe environmental consequences. Increased use of disposables continues to challenge resource management efforts aimed at achieving sustainability. The closing of past recycling pathways has led to the investigation of alternatives as productive and environmentally conscious recycling technology. The repurposing of used plastics can be accomplished using technologies based on purification, decomposition or conversion approaches to waste plastic utilization. Established and emerging mechanical and chemical technologies ranging from bench-scale demonstrations to full-scale implementation are becoming investment targets across the globe. Notable examples involve thermal, chemical and biological depolymerization processes. Pyrolytic technologies using plastics-to-fuel strategies are prominent in the catalog of processes under investigation. The ideal of closed supply chain constraints offers optimal solutions to the recycling needs of our society. Evaluation of new/emerging processes requires performance assessment that can provide a better understanding of how used plastics recycling technology development can contribute to the environment and the sustainable reuse of plastic materials.

Are reliable and emerging technologies available for plastic recycling in a circular economy?

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.