TY - JOUR
T1 - The Critical Role of Process Analysis in Chemical Recycling and Upcycling of Waste Plastics
AU - Nicholson, Scott
AU - Rorrer, Julie
AU - Singh, Avantika
AU - Konev, Mikhail
AU - Rorrer, Nicholas
AU - Carpenter, Alberta
AU - Jacobsen, Alan
AU - Roman-Leshkov, Yuriy
AU - Beckham, Gregg
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Annual Reviews Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - There is an urgent need for new technologies to enable circularity for synthetic polymers, spurred by the accumulation of waste plastics in landfills and the environment and the contributions of plastics manufacturing to climate change. Chemical recycling is a promising means to convert waste plastics into molecular intermediates that can be remanufactured into new products. Given the growing interest in the development of new chemical recycling approaches, it is critical to evaluate the economics, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and other life cycle inventory metrics for emerging processes,relative to the incumbent, linear manufacturing practices employed today. Here we offer specific definitions for classes of chemical recycling and upcycling and describe general process concepts for the chemical recycling of mixed plastics waste. We present a framework for techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment for both closed- and open-loop chemical recycling. Rigorous application of these process analysis tools will be required to enable impactful solutions for the plastics waste problem.
AB - There is an urgent need for new technologies to enable circularity for synthetic polymers, spurred by the accumulation of waste plastics in landfills and the environment and the contributions of plastics manufacturing to climate change. Chemical recycling is a promising means to convert waste plastics into molecular intermediates that can be remanufactured into new products. Given the growing interest in the development of new chemical recycling approaches, it is critical to evaluate the economics, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and other life cycle inventory metrics for emerging processes,relative to the incumbent, linear manufacturing practices employed today. Here we offer specific definitions for classes of chemical recycling and upcycling and describe general process concepts for the chemical recycling of mixed plastics waste. We present a framework for techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment for both closed- and open-loop chemical recycling. Rigorous application of these process analysis tools will be required to enable impactful solutions for the plastics waste problem.
KW - circular economy
KW - greenhouse gas emissions
KW - life cycle assessment
KW - recycling
KW - techno-economic analysis
KW - upcycling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129564439&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100521-085846
DO - 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100521-085846
M3 - Article
C2 - 35320697
AN - SCOPUS:85129564439
SN - 1947-5438
VL - 13
SP - 301
EP - 324
JO - Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
JF - Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
ER -