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An Overview of the Non-Energetic Valorization Possibilities of Plastic Waste via Thermochemical Processes
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This review surveys non-energetic valorization options for plastic waste through chemical recycling, covering solvolysis, enzymatic depolymerization, and catalytic cracking pathways that recover monomers or chemical feedstocks. The authors compare process maturity and economic viability, identifying PET and nylon depolymerization as the most commercially advanced chemical recycling routes.
The recovery and recycling/upcycling of plastics and polymer-based materials is needed in order to reduce plastic waste accumulated over decades. Mechanical recycling processes have made a great contribution to the circularity of plastic materials, contributing to 99% of recycled thermoplastics. Challenges facing this family of processes limit its outreach to 30% of plastic waste. Complementary pathways are needed to increase recycling rates. Chemical processes have the advantage of decomposing plastics into a variety of hydrocarbons that can cover a wide range of applications, such as monomers, lubricants, phase change materials, solvents, BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene), etc. The aim of the present work is to shed light on different chemical recycling pathways, with a special focus on thermochemicals. The study will cover the effects of feedstock, operating conditions, and processes used on the final products. Then, it will attempt to correlate these final products to some petrochemical feedstock being used today on a large scale.
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This review examines chemical recycling methods for plastic waste as alternatives to mechanical recycling, focusing on depolymerization via solvolysis, pyrolysis, and purification processes applicable to PET, polyurethane, and polystyrene. The authors discuss how these approaches convert polymer waste back into feedstock monomers that can be repolymerized, addressing value degradation and sorting limitations inherent to mechanical recycling.
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This review surveys mechanical, chemical, and energy recovery methods for plastic waste recycling, examining challenges such as polymer degradation across cycles, the role of fillers, and advanced chemical techniques like pyrolysis and gasification. It provides practical guidance on the current state and future directions of plastic recycling across major polymer types including PET, HDPE, PP, and PS.
Beyond Mechanical Recycling: Giving New Life to Plastic Waste
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This review examines chemical recycling processes — including pyrolysis, solvolysis, and gasification — as alternatives to mechanical recycling for plastic waste, comparing their technical readiness, environmental performance via life-cycle analysis, and commercial development status.
Approaches for Management and Valorization of Non-Homogeneous, Non-Recyclable Plastic Waste
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This review examined management and valorization strategies for non-homogeneous, non-recyclable plastic waste, evaluating chemical recycling, energy recovery, and upcycling approaches as pathways to reduce environmental plastic accumulation and recover value from difficult-to-process waste streams.
Chemical Recycling and Upcycling of Plastic Waste: from Linear to Circular Economy
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Right now, only about 9% of plastic waste actually gets recycled, and most of what does get recycled turns into lower-quality material—not a real solution to the mountains of plastic piling up in our environment (and breaking down into the microplastics we're increasingly finding in our bodies). This review rounds up newer "chemical recycling" methods that can break plastic waste down to its molecular building blocks and even transform it into useful products like lubricants, offering a more promising path to actually reusing plastic instead of just downgrading it. These technologies are still working through real challenges like cost and efficiency before they can make a major dent in the plastic p
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