Chemical recycling is an alternative to mechanical recycling used to meet ambitious recycling targets for plastic waste in the EU. This process converts polymeric waste by combining its chemical structure to produce raw materials for the manufacture of new products, avoiding the use of fuels or means of energy production. This process includes pyrolysis, which involves heating a polymer to a temperature of 400-600°C in the absence of oxygen to produce a mixture of hydrocarbons or a monomer.
On the subject of pyrolysis, GreenDot, a group of companies specialising in plastics recycling solutions, has entered into a partnership with Shell Chemicals Europe, a subsidiary of Shell, to supply pyrolysis oil to the Market Development Upgrader (MDU) unit currently under construction at the Shell Chemicals Park in Moerdijk, the Netherlands, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.
Shell Chemicals Europe will process the pyrolysis oil to remove impurities and use the new material to produce circular polymers that can be re-processed into contact-sensitive plastic packaging for various sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
GreenDot's work with downstream partners and brand owners demonstrates that advanced recycling technologies can play a key role in meeting the growing demand for recycled materials in food contact packaging, contributing to the EU's target of 10% recycled content in contact sensitive plastic packaging by 2030.
