Chemical feedstock recovery from hard-to-recycle plastics through pyrolysis-based approaches and pyrolysis-gas chromatography

Japan is aiming to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050. Generation of waste plastic is annually increasing, and the demand for waste plastic recycling is rapidly and globally growing to allow sustainable plastic use. Thus, rapid and substantial promotion of plastic recycling technology is a global preferential task. Pyrolysis is a promising strategy for recovering chemical feedstock from waste plastics, which improves global recycling capacity. Global trends in waste plastic recycling were considred along with feedstock recycling through pyrolysis-based approaches for hard-to-recycle plastic wastes, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethanes. The applicability of pyrolysis-gas chromatography was studied by the investigation of the pyrolysis reaction mechanism, in situ pyrolyzate monitoring, and rapid screening of pyrolysis and catalytic reaction conditions. Simultaneous recovery of benzene and metals from metal-PET composites is discussed.