{"id":18606,"date":"2025-02-10T11:12:49","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T10:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interzero.pl\/blog\/what-is-chemical-recycling\/"},"modified":"2025-02-10T11:13:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T10:13:04","slug":"what-is-chemical-recycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interzero.pl\/en\/blog\/what-is-chemical-recycling\/","title":{"rendered":"What is chemical recycling?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ align_horizontal=”align_center” gutter_size=”3″ overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ width=”1\/2″ uncode_shortcode_id=”188754″][vc_single_image media=”18602″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”100091″ media_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Finterzero.pl%2Fo-firmie%2Fzrownowazony-rozwoj%2Fsustainability-magazine%2Frecykling-chemiczny%2F”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_custom_heading uncode_shortcode_id=”173785″]<\/p>\n

What is chemical recycling?<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”135697″]Chemical recycling, also known as raw material recycling, is a waste processing method that uses high temperature or chemical agents. Experts see it as a chance to manage contaminated and heterogeneous fractions that cannot be recovered using mechanical recycling methods.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ position_horizontal=”left” position_vertical=”middle” gutter_size=”3″ overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ width=”1\/1″ uncode_shortcode_id=”519152″][vc_custom_heading text_size=”h4″ uncode_shortcode_id=”603173″]<\/p>\n

Chemical recycling will allow the recovery of raw materials from contaminated waste fractions<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”318012″]Raw material recycling involves thermal decomposition of waste, which can yield liquid hydrocarbons or gases that are components for the production of new raw materials.<\/strong> It is used to process some plastics (e.g. PET, polyethylene, polypropylene). This type of recycling is more energy-intensive and more expensive than material recycling<\/strong> , but it allows for the return to circulation of waste that is heavily contaminated or heterogeneous<\/strong> (and therefore unsuitable for material recycling). <\/p>\n

According to experts, chemical recycling should be a complement to mechanical recycling, which is currently used to process approximately 80% of plastics. Managing Director of the Plastics Europe Polska Foundation, Dr. Anna Kozera-Sza\u0142kowska, sees it as an opportunity to recycle raw materials that can be used for contact with food or in medical applications [i]<\/a> . <\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> Zero recycling point in Poland<\/em> , https:\/\/portalkomunalny.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/raport-punkt-zero-recyklingu-w-polsce.pdf[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text_size=”h4″ uncode_shortcode_id=”234890″]<\/p>\n

How is chemical recycling done? Methods and applications <\/h2>\n

[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”810409″]In the chemical recycling process, two basic reactions are used: breaking and creating new chemical bonds. This means that a plastic particle (polymer) is broken into smaller particles (including monomers), from which new polymers can be produced in the next stage<\/strong> . In this way, materials with identical properties to primary materials obtained from crude oil are obtained. <\/p>\n

The most important technologies used during the chemical recycling process are:<\/p>\n