Recycling Technologies: A sustainable manufacturing platform for the chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste into high value products

According to PlasticsEurope, in 2018, nearly 360 million tonnes of plastic were produced globally. Of this, around 260 million tonnes ended up as waste. A study by McKinsey&Co in 2016 found that just 16% was collected for recycling, and just 12% actually recycled. The rest was either incinerated, landfilled, or simply lost to the environment. However, to avoid using plastic altogether will bear many unintended consequences. Therefore, it is imperative that we find a solution for its end-of-life so we can continue to reap the benefits of this valuable product. Chemical recycling of plastic waste is an essential component in achieving zero avoidable waste. It will enable mechanical recyclers to become more effective and profitable; the low-value plastic material that is currently left over at the end of their process can be accepted into feedstock recycling, alleviating the financial and environmental burden of disposing of this material elsewhere. Under a system where mechanical and chemical recycling work together, we envisage recycling up to 90% of all plastics. With the widespread adoption of this new system, plastic can gradually be decoupled from fossil fuel. We will develop a commercial concept for a sustainable, integrated, distributed manufacturing platform for the chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste into high value products, specifically for reuse in plastics manufacturing. The manufacturing platform will integrate renewable energy to generate green hydrogen (via electrolysis) required for the upgrading process in a state-of-the-art modular oscillatory baffled reactor (OBR). The aim is to realise an integrated reactor that will deliver improvements in product quality and suitability for onward processing, although components will be modular to ensure feedstock flexibility for other renewable and sustainable carbon sources (such as lignocellulosic biomass). A digital twin will be developed to allow the concepts of a cyber physical production system to be embedded from the outset in order to realise a responsive and distributed manufacturing model. The RT7000 machine creates market value from waste plastics which are currently hard-to-recycle via the current state-of-the-art (mechanical recycling) or incineration. Although incineration recovers energy from waste plastic, the replacement of those plastics still requires a linear system (source, produce, dispose) using virgin feedstock. This machine could be a significant tool in the quest to bring the waste plastic back into circularity and reduce the depletion of natural resources. RT recycles plastics into Plaxx(r) (Hydrocarbon mixture) through an innovative process which uses thermal cracking.