Plastic Waste Chemical Recycling to Methanol: Combined Experimental and Plant-Wide Simulated Approach

Chemical recycling of plastic waste is a topic of high interest due to the ever-growing amounts of polymers produced each year and the still inefficient end-of-life management of waste. Gasification is one of the potential treatments of plastic waste that would allow synthesis of chemicals with benefits such as autothermal conditions, robustness to contaminants, and easily achievable end of waste certification with respect to other alternatives. In this paper, a conceptual design for gasification recycling validated by experimental campaigns in a demo-scale plant is proposed with the intent of estimating methanol synthesis yield. Methanol is chosen as it has been selected as a key transition molecule that offers a versatile market. A yield of 1.35 kg of methanol per kg of treated plastic waste was computed, and an evaluation of plant net present value, internal rate of return, and payback time is reported to assess the potential economic performance of the plant at different scales.

Automated summary

Chemical recycling of plastic waste is a topic of high interest due to the inefficiency of waste management and the increasing production of polymers each year. Gasification, as a potential treatment, offers the synthesis of chemicals with advantages such as autothermal conditions and robustness to contaminants. This paper proposes a concept for gasification recycling, validated by experimental campaigns in a demo-scale plant, to estimate methanol synthesis yield. The economic performance of the plant at different scales is evaluated through net present value, internal rate of return, and payback time analysis.