Chemical Recycling & Upcycling Additive Technology Advances!

The global plastics industry is pivoting towards chemical recycling in tandem with upcycling additives in mechanical recycling to control plastic waste and establish a successful circular plastics economy. The key goal in plastics recycling is to bring waste materials back to an acceptable level of performance in established applications.

Chemical recycling focuses on breaking down the given plastic into its monomer constituents. Mechanical recycling cleans material scraps and with the addition of upcycling additives creates an extruded pellet with near virgin resin characteristics.

Let’s go ahead and examine three emerging technologies in chemical recycling and upcycling additives respectively.

Emerging Technologies in Chemical Recycling

Eastman’s Tritan™ Renew Grade for Single-use Containers and Packaging

Eastman Chemical is among the first resin producers to commercialize a thermoplastic that is polymerized with material derived from chemical recycling. Called Tritan™ Renew, the amorphous copolyester has a recycled content of 25 or 50 percent, as certified by the ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) mass balance accounting system. It gives end‐users a sustainable option for single‐use containers like:

• Water bottles and food packaging
• Cosmetic jars, and
• Other types of packaging and durables

Chemical recycling generates a lot fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional polymerization processes. Monomers produced have a 20-50% lower greenhouse gas impact depending on the process and feedstock used. Eastman has three processes for chemical recycling. Two are called Polyester Renewal Technology (PRT). One of these is glycolysis, which is used for Tritan™ Renew.


Create True Circular Economy with Eastman's Advanced Recycling Technologies

SABIC’s Certified Circular Polymers Using Plastic Energy’s TAC Chemical Recycling Process

Next, let’s take a look at the Thermal Anaerobic Conversion (TAC) chemical recycling process. SABIC has commercialized the production of its first certified circular polymers focused on polyethylene and polypropylene, partially made using pyrolysis oil from plastic waste as feedstock.

Pyrolysis oil was produced by UK firm Plastic Energy. TAC does not use catalysts which are often expensive, easily poisoned, and hazardous to dispose. Plastic Energy treats end-of-life plastics that are contaminated, mixed, and multi-layered, and does not treat plastics that can be easily mechanically recycled, such as PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET).

Plastics used are comingled with a minimum of 50% of low-density polyethylene (plastic bags, films) and the rest is a mix of polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, and polystyrene. Plastic Energy’s TAC plants are uniquely controlled using non-contaminated thermal degradation, agitation, and carbon chain length selectivity to produce a variety of outputs.

Agilyx’s Combination of Feedstock Management Expertise & Conversion Technology Platform

Finally, let’s review Agilyx’s chemical recycling technology that makes plastic a circular resource. Their technology:

• Returns plastic to its original chemical components,
• Creates new plastics with qualities equal to the original material,
• Allows producers to meet recycled content mandates, and 50% to 70% lower carbon footprint compared to virgin plastic resin manufacturing.

Agilyx has a dedicated focus on chemical recycling and an enabling feedstock management expertise. The Agilyx platform can make a variety of new products from waste plastic – such as base feedstocks, discrete polymers, or drop-in fuels – each helping to take the plastic recycling rate from 10% to 90%.

Agylix’s plastic-to-plastic conversion technology is enabled by a combination of feedstock management expertise and conversion technology platform.

Emerging Technologies in Upcycling Additives

Kraton’s Additives for Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR) Material Blends

Kraton’s CirKular+ additives find strong use in upgrading processing in recycled mixed material systems.

• Their C2000 and C3000 additives boost stress cracking and impact strength properties in polyolefin Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR) such as commingled PolyPropylene (PP) with High Density PolyEthylene (HDPE).
• Their C1000 and C1010 compatibilizer additives are targeted at PolyEthylene (PE) or PP blends contaminated with PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET).

Kraton’s C1010 is a grade that contains 50% post-industrial recycled block copolymers. As compatibilizers, these additives are typically used at 3-6% by weight in the base compound but in some cases, only 1-3% by weight is needed to improve compound homogeneity.

Ampacet’s Silky Bliss Masterbatches for Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting

Next, let’s take a look at Ampacet’s Silky Bliss Near Infrared (NIR) recycle colorant detectors. An ongoing challenge in Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR), particularly in bottle packaging applications, where recycle streams may include PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) is the ability to recompound recycle streams into standard package colors to distinguish other recycle streams like:

• High Density PolyEthylene (HDPE), and 
• PolyPropylene (PP)

Ampacet has created a broad color pigment range in its Silky Bliss Near Infrared (NIR) that includes not only traditional black and white shades already in sorting use in Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) but extends into NIR qualified blues, purples, greens, and pinks. Ultimately, Ampacet’s NIR coloring capability across major bottle-grade plastics allows end-use brand owners to build consistent recycle content bottle packages.

Avient’s Oxygen Scavenger Additive Used in PET Recycled Bottle Packaging

Finally, let’s review Avient’s ColorMatrix™ Amosorb™ 4020G oxygen scavenger additive that can reduce haze and yellowing by up to 55% in PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) recycled bottle packaging. This additive system is particularly suited when compounded into a mechanically recycled PET that is known to be adversely affected in terms of reduced haze and yellowing effects. Simultaneously and most importantly the recycled PET oxygen barrier is also maintained for consistent organoleptic, taste properties.

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