As chemists and engineers look to be more sustainable in their use, reuse, and recycling of materials, plastics are playing an ever-increasing role in the economy. U.S. inflation-adjusted manufacturing shrunk for the last 10 years (0.5% per year), while manufacturing of plastics grew at 0.7% per year. In addition to economics, sustainability considers a social pillar, where plastics offer societal benefits with prospects for future advances and at the same time concerns from accumulation in landfills, habitats, and wildlife, and then exposure to humans, as well as leaching of chemicals. Here, the focus is on the environmental aspects of sustainability; recycling of plastics and their resource use and environmental releases. Plastic recycling can only happen if systems are in place and used. Thus, system limitations are barriers to increasing plastic recycling; studied here with the processes involved and the flows of plastics through the system. Material recovery facility throughputs are modeled as inputs-outputs and then processed at reclaimers, where plastics are prepared for reuse. Polyethylene terephthalate is of interest because it is the most widely recycled plastic in the U.S. PET finds use in plastic bottles, thermoforms for food packaging, carpeting, and textiles, but only bottles are commonly recycled. As postconsumer PET flows through MRFs and reclaimer recycling processes, resource use and environmental releases are estimated, along with flowrates and purities which describe the PET recycling system. Recycled PET is converted into new products such as fibers, films, and bottles. This system provides an example of a circular economy which, while only partially manifested due to limitations on collection, processing, and conversion of recycled PET, offers direction on how materials can be maintained in the economy and the associated processes considered for sustainability.

Plastics as feedstocks for a circular economy: PET flows and recycling processes

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

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