Circular Economy with Plastics Pyrolysis and Purification

The world is hungry for a circular economy, eliminating our population’s throwaway mentality for disposable resources in packaging, clothing, and other products. Social and political pressure is pushing further the need for quick evolution.

Mechanical recycling has been the bedrock of plastic recycling for many years. However, this route faces some shortcomings, such as its inability to handle all kind of plastic waste and the downgrading issue (reuse for material in direct food or medical contact not allowed).

Advanced, or chemical, recycling can address these limitations. One of the fastest growing areas within advanced recycling is pyrolysis of plastic rich waste. This route ensures “return to virgin plastic” (plastic monomer). To help supporting Technip Energies vison that “for each of our plastic technologies, we want to have a recycling technology“, a dedicated “Pyrolysis and Purification Product Group” has been set-up to focus on being able to feed plastic rich waste back to steam cracker.

The presentation will use a case study to link the quantity of waste required to meet the coming legislation trend. It will explain the Technip Energies' answer to support a plastic circular economy such as the building of a club of pyrolysis technologies to couple with T.EN purification and feed treating technologies. As an illustration, the paper will showcase some integration solution for both type of plastic pyrolysis products (plastic pyrolysis oil and plastic pyrolysis gas) for which some patent activities are on-going on the purification and recovery technology.