To deal with the global plastic waste problem, at great deal of hope is placed in chemical recycling processes. But can the process hold up to these high expectations? An expert discussion at Achema Pulse addressed the potentials and challenges of the technology. PROCESS worldwide listened in on the session and summarized the most important statements for you.

S&B Engineers and Constructors has been awarded an EPC contract for expanding New Hope Energy’s plastics pyrolysis unit in Texas, USA. On completion, the expansion is expected to add 420 metric tons of capacity daily to convert plastic waste to chemical feedstocks in the existing facility.

Lyondell Basell's proprietary Moretec molecular recycling technology is based on chemical recycling but it also includes a catalyst-based approach. The technology aims to return post-consumer plastic waste back to its molecular form and use it as feedstock for the production of new plastic materials. Currently, the company has set up a pilot plant in Italy to advance its technology towards commercial scale.

The Pyrochem Project aims to process 1 million tons of waste plastic into feedstock for the chemical industry from 2030 onwards. With this project, the project partners intend to reduce 1.7 million tons of CO2-eq annually and save 550 kilotons of petroleum.

Neste aims to scale up processing capabilities for liquefied waste plastic at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. The development will enable the company to meet its goal of processing over 1 million tons of waste plastic annually.

In line with BASF’s ambitious climate targets announced earlier, the company has now come up with a detailed action plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 % by 2030 and aims to reach its goal of net zero emissions globally by 2050.

A new study by Fertilizers Europe and Dechema has revealed that CO2 emissions from ammonia production in Europe could be reduced by almost a fifth in 2030. It also highlights that the adoption of blue hydrogen in the production of ammonia could lead to a reduction of 3,000 kt of CO2 emissions annually from 2030 onwards.

Denka has partnered with Toyo to build a chemical recycling plant in Chiba, Japan which will process approximately 3,000 tons of used polystyrene to produce styrene monomers which will be used for the production of high-quality polystyrene resins.

LG Chem is aiming to achieve 50.1 billion dollars in revenue by 2030 by expanding its high-value new businesses of eco-friendly materials, battery materials, and new drugs by more than half. With this, the firm intends to reset itself as a global sustainable science company.

The global plastic recycling market stood at 162.5 million tons in 2020 and is forecast to reach 263.08 million tons by 2030, growing at a healthy CAGR of 4.49 % until 2030, according to a report by Research and Markets. Chemical recycling is definitely one of the most popular processes in recent times which will aid the plastic recycling industry to transform into a greener and more sustainable circular economy. In this background, PROCESS Worldwide shares with you the top 5 chemical recycling solutions which have been in the news this year.