'Chemical Recycling' can turn plastic waste to natural resource - Cornell

Cornell research is trying to break waste products down into basic natural molecules

 Nations' actions to decide if global emissions decline 10% this decade

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• The story: Researchers from Cornell University conducted new research with the aim to ease the process of chemical recycling, an emerging industry that could turn waste products back into natural resources by physically breaking plastic down into the smaller molecules it was produced from originally.
• A new framework: Researchers gave a framework incorporating several mathematical models and methodologies that factor everything from chemical recycling equipment, processes and energy sources, to environmental effects and the market for end products.

1. The framework is the first comprehensive analysis of its kind that quantifies the life-cycle environmental impacts of plastic waste chemical recycling, such as climate change and human toxicity.
2. Billions of tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, yet most of it - 91 per cent, according to one often-cited study -- has not been recycled.
3. While growing landfills and contaminated natural areas are among the concerns, the failure to reduce and reuse plastic is also seen by some as a missed economic opportunity.

• Focus on recycling: That is why the emerging industry of chemical recycling is capturing the attention of the waste industry and researchers, who are helping to identify optimal technologies for chemical recycling and providing a roadmap for the future of the industry.
• Benefits: Not only does chemical recycling create a 'circular economy,' in which a waste product can be turned back into a natural resource, but it opens the door for plastics such as high-density polyethylene -- used to produce items such as rigid bottles, toys, underground pipes, and mail package envelopes -- to be recycled more commonly.

1. The paper highlights the benefits of consequential life-cycle optimization when compared with more traditional analytical tools.
2. In one scenario, to maximize economic outcomes while minimizing environmental impacts, life-cycle optimization produced a more than 14 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and a more than 60 per cent reduction of photochemical air pollution when compared with the attributional life-cycle assessment approach typically used in environmental assessment studies.
3. For instance, if the market demand for basic chemicals like ethylene and propylene is strong enough, the framework recommends a specific type of chemical separation technology, while if butane or isobutene are desired, another type of technology is optimal.

• Environmental consequences of recycling: These depend on variables such as the supplier process of chemical feedstocks and products. For instance, the framework found that producing butene onsite as opposed to having it supplied can reduce photochemical air pollution from recycling plants by nearly 20 per cent, while onsite use of natural gas increases more than 37 per cent of potentially harmful ionizing radiation.
• Background for the research: Plastics are excellent materials: they are light weight, long-lasting, easy to manufacture, and relatively cheap. The ongoing development of new polymers and their production technology has produced a vast range of plastics with properties ranging from soft to strong, from brittle to ductile, and from flexible to rigid. Thus, they make our life versatile and convenient in many areas, e.g. transportation, home appliances, and digital devices. However, once their designated job is finished, they become a problem because they do not degrade on their own. Since the 1990s, the problem associated with cumulated plastic wastes has been addressed and various solutions have been proposed.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain how 'chemical recylcing' is a concept different from other forms of recycling. (2) Why are Indian cities not able to recycle solid waste? What government programmes are being run to help them do it? Explain.

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