The premier advanced recycling conference in Europe, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC), took place in Cologne on November 20–21, 2024, with around 270 attendees.
Hürth, At the Advanced Recycling Conference, speakers from top businesses and academic institutions discussed the present and potential future of advanced recycling technologies, such as pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerisation, and the new star, dissolution. Conference 2024, which took place online and in Cologne from November 20 to 21. Attendees gave the conference excellent reviews, praising the wide range of detailed, excellent material that was offered. Many emphasised the priceless networking possibilities, which they said were essential in a sector that was changing quickly. Many attendees commented that the event had surpassed their expectations.
From breakdown to multifaceted tactics
Dissolution was examined in relation to many materials and acknowledged as a viable option for advanced recycling: PC and ABS (such as ReSolved Technologies and Trinseo, Netherlands), PS (Polystyvert, Canada), PVC (INEOS Inovyn, Belgium), and PE and PP (such as PureCycle, Belgium, and Reventas, UK). These technologies provide recycling paths that are more energy-efficient and shorter. However, the panel discussions and exchanges with the audience revealed a key lesson: no single technology can solve all the challenges. A multi-faceted approach remains essential to meet the diverse needs of advanced recycling.
As plastic waste continues to challenge global environmental sustainability, industry experts are exploring innovative recycling technologies to address complex waste streams. In her presentation, Outi Teräs from Neste (Finland) highlighted the need for physical and chemical recycling to address all plastic waste streams that cannot be managed by mechanical recycling.
The challenges of mechanical recycling
At the Advanced Recycling Conference, attention was drawn to the mechanical recycling of PET, which is well established in Europe, particularly in Germany through schemes such as the bottle deposit programme. While effective, this method faces significant challenges when dealing with complex waste streams such as mixed plastics and textiles. From a process perspective, the mechanical recycling of These materials are extremely demanding, and the recycled material that is produced is inappropriate for applications that need touch.
Advanced depolymerisation methods have been emphasised as potential in light of these constraints. answers.
Complex PET waste streams might be effectively addressed by innovations based on solvolysis (DePoly in Switzerland), solid-state hydrolysis (Matterr in Germany), and enzymolysis (the EU WhiteCycle project and Plasticentropy in France). These methods are excellent at dissolving PET into its constituent monomers, allowing recycled PET of virgin grade to be produced. These cutting-edge techniques are seen to be the best options for fulfilling required recycled PET content targets as they provide a means of enhancing recycling rates and quality in situations when conventional techniques are insufficient.
Pyrolysis is a crucial recycling method.
Pyrolysis, although a longer and more energy-intensive process route than dissolution methods, has emerged as an important recycling route for polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) waste, particularly for the production of virgin quality recycled polymers suitable for contact-sensitive applications. Its ability to handle diverse waste streams and produce high-quality outputs makes it an essential complement to mechanical recycling.
The partnership between the Austrian businesses Borealis and OMV is a noteworthy illustration of an integrated business strategy that combines mechanical recycling and pyrolysis. OMV just began operating its new demonstration plant, which has an annual capacity of 16,000 tonnes, and expects to are in progress for a commercial facility that will have a 200,000-ton annual capacity by 2028.
Pyrolysis and other thermochemical methods are being further optimised by recent developments, with an emphasis on enhancing robustness, yields, energy efficiency, product quality, and economic performance. AES Autonome Energiesysteme (Germany), for instance, is increasing accessibility through small-scale pyrolysis plants, making broader use possible. Mura Technology (UK) has developed a process that is tolerant to organic impurities, eliminating the need for pre-drying, while Aduro Clean Technologies (Canada) aims to achieve higher quality outputs without the need for hydrotreatment, significantly shortening the recycling process route. These developments show how pyrolysis is increasingly being used to solve intricate plastic waste streams and advance the circular economy.
Europe’s advanced recycling prospects
In the midst of the economic crisis facing Europe’s chemical and plastics industries, advanced recycling offers a compelling opportunity to defossilise the sector and attract much-needed investment. During the session on “Markets, Investment and Financing”, experts examined Europe’s position in this transformation. They highlighted that while European companies may struggle to compete with China in virgin polymer production, a strategic shift to advanced recycling could provide a competitive advantage. By using imported plastic waste as a feedstock for a new, circular chemical industry, Europe could establish itself as a leader in sustainable innovation, fostering resilience and economic growth in the sector.
Experts emphasised the need of encouraging localised solutions in light of the difficulties posed by supply chain vulnerabilities and demands from the global market. Gerben Hieminga of ING Group N.V. (the Netherlands) emphasised in his presentation that creating more regional value chains might be a practical way to
lessen reliance on global markets and their pressure. Marc Spekreijse of Circular Plastics (The Netherlands) pointed out the high revenues the Commission receives from the levy on non-recycled plastics, which is regulated differently in each Member State and is far higher than the additional costs of recycled plastics.
Europe has the most well-established garbage collecting infrastructure and has led the way in technological advancements in sophisticated recycling to date. Europe could draw in new investment and promote defossilization by using less virgin fossil fuels if it implemented robust recycling regulations and created demand.
increasing recycling and maintaining the carbon cycle. The event’s sponsors, DePoly, EREMA Group, Starlinger, and Buss ChemTech, generously supported it, demonstrating their dedication to developing environmentally friendly recycling technology.
Registration for the Advanced Recycling Conference 2025, 19-20 November in Cologne, Germany, will open in early December: https://advanced-recycling.eu/registration/.