PCR Plastic Solutions

        Currently, there are two carbon reduction solutions: environmentally friendly recycled materials and bio-based materials. However, bio-based materials are subject to greater material limitations and higher technical bottlenecks. Therefore, more companies now choose to use environmentally friendly recycled materials, that is, post-consumer recycled materials, also known as PCR materials. PCR plastics can achieve "carbon reduction" because they reduce the huge carbon emissions generated by the production of virgin materials. Although PCR materials also have technical bottlenecks, they are currently more feasible. Due to the different methods of recycling and treating plastic waste, PCR plastic solutions can generally be divided into two types: mechanical and physical recycling and chemical upgrading and recycling.

        Mechanical and physical recycling

        Mechanical and physical recycling is to sort the discarded plastics according to the material, crush them into plastic particles, and then add them back to the raw materials in a certain proportion for recycling.

        The challenges facing mechanical recycling at present are the source, price and control methods of raw materials, followed by formulation technology, and the stability of recycled plastic modification production. Among them, formulation technology and production stability mainly include problems such as impurities, unstable secondary heating quality, non-compliant performance and appearance.

        Currently, many companies have some PCR solutions for reducing carbon emissions, such as SABIC, DuPont, Kumho Sunny, etc. SABIC has non-filled LNP™ PCR copolymer PC resin solutions, glass fiber reinforced LNP™ THERMOCOMP™ PCR solutions, PC and PC/ABS resin LNP™ ELCRIN™ PCR solutions, Kumho Sunny has Ecoblend® PCR solutions, and DuPont has Rynite® PCR solutions. These PCR solutions reduce carbon emissions to varying degrees. For example, SABIC's glass fiber reinforced LNP™ THERMOCOMP™ PCR solution can reduce carbon emissions by 26%~38% throughout the life cycle. Compared with plastics made from petrochemical sources, Kumho Sunny's Ecoblend® post-consumer recycled PC/PET, PC/ABS, ABS and PP series products can achieve 23.6%-80.73% carbon emission reduction during the "cradle-to-gate" life cycle. Every 1kg of Rynite® PCR material from DuPont can reduce 0.7kg of carbon dioxide emissions.

        Chemical Upcycling

        Chemical Upcycling is different from mechanical and physical recycling. It has the potential to process low-quality, mixed plastic waste and has a wider applicability. Compared with mechanical and physical recycling, it has a lower requirement for the plastic content in the recycled waste. Chemical Upcycling is a hot new technology in the chemical industry. It converts plastic waste into raw materials for plastic production through hydrocracking, oilification, vaporization, etc., so as to achieve the effect of "rebirth" of plastic waste, and its performance is comparable to that of traditional products.

        The challenges currently faced by chemical upgrading and recycling are similar to those of mechanical and physical recycling, but the current dilemma of chemical upgrading and recycling lies in breaking through the depolymerization and repolymerization technology of plastic waste.

        SABIC has proprietary depolymerization and repolymerization technology and has developed the LNP™ELCRIN™iQ series of products for chemical upgrading and recycling. Each 1Kg of iQ PBT resin is chemically upgraded and recycled from 67 0.5L discarded PET plastic bottles after use. Compared with virgin PBT, iQ PBT can reduce water consumption by 15%, global warming potential by 29% and cumulative energy use by 43% throughout its life cycle.