Recycling process

Among the generated 2,600 kt of WEEE plastics in Europe, only 180 kt can be recycled using traditional recycling technologies, leaving the remainder potentially available for advanced recycling methods1. As the European Strategy for Plastics, part of the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), aims to increase the use of recycled plastics in new products, it is necessary to improve recycling strategies for higher WEEE plastic recycling rates.

INCREACE aims to maximize the recovery and use of recycled plastics from e-waste by promoting a collaborative approach. The project advocates a synergistic approach to advancing recycling technologies, recognizing that diƯerent technologies can work together rather than competing for
the same materials. Utilizing complementary advanced recycling technologies such as mechanical, dissolution and chemical recycling to improve material recovery and produce high quality recycled plastics for various applications.

Traditional mechanical recycling methods nowadays often fail due to challenges in these plastic waste streams, such as mixed, filled, or contaminated plastics. Dissolution-based recycling and chemical recycling are innovative approaches to address these challenges. The dissolution-based recycling process is based on selective separation, so allowing the recovery of pure polymers from complex mixtures of plastics using solvents. In addition, it is possible to effectively remove contaminants and additives that reduce the quality of the recycling plastic produced by conventional recycling processes. The high quality of the recycled plastics enables their reutilization to manufacture plastic products. Whereas chemical recycling can process challenging plastic streams with pyrolysis using high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, causing them to decompose into gases, liquids, and solid residues. The gases and liquids can be further processed into valuable products, such as fuels, chemical feedstocks, and specialty chemicals.

Do you have specific questions about Mechanical recycling? Get in touch with:

Alfred Jäger
alfred.jager@mirec.com

Rebecca Baaijens
rebecca.baaijens@mirec.com