Abstract
The mixed and varied nature of fossil-based and bio-based plastic waste requires complex and costly separations to enable compatibility with recycling technologies. A circular plastic economy based on mixed polyesters through cleaving ester bonds to produce monomers, while re-utilizing bio-based monomers to produce high-quality sustainable plastics, charts an exciting solution. However, the feasibility of such a circular economy solution remains underexplored. Here, we conducted a techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment of three polyester depolymerization recycling processes-methanolysis, glycolysis, and acid hydrolysis-for a mixed feedstock (polyethylene terephthalate [PET], polylactic acid [PLA], and polybutylene adipate terephthalate [PBAT]). Methanolysis outperforms glycolysis and hydrolysis economically and environmentally due to more efficient downstream separations, generating products with a 31% decrease in selling price and 21%-46% reduction in acidification, carcinogenic toxicity, fossil-fuel depletion, global warming potential, particulate formation, and smog formation compared to conventional polyester manufacturing. This study highlights the viability of a circular plastic economy for mixed polyesters via a single chemical recycling process.
Original language | American English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 2204-2222 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | One Earth |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2024 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-5100-87422
Keywords
- bioplastic
- chemical recycling
- circular economy
- glycolysis
- hydrolysis
- life-cycle assessment
- methanolysis
- plastic
- polyester
- techno-economic analysis