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PLASTIC PRODUCTION AND PLASTIC WASTE ARE GROWING EXPONENTIALLY
Clean-Seas addresses the plastic waste crisis by diverting it from landfills, incineration and the environment and converting it to valuable products.
DIVERT and CONVERT
of the global production of crude oil and natural gas liquids are devoted to the production of plastics, a share expected to increase to 20% in 2050
6%
91% of plastics are not recycled
Million tons of plastic are projected to be produced yearly by 2030 up 30% from 2025
Plastic is being produced at ever increasing volumes contributing to carbon emissions and polluting the environment
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Utilizing advanced recycling (Pyrolysis) we can decrease the carbon impact of producing plastic and valorize plastic waste
Advantage of Pyrolysis:
Pyrolysis enables the conversion of hard to recycle post use plastic (PUP) into chemical precursors used to create new plastic - fueling the circular plastic economy
ADVANCED RECYCLING: PYROLYSIS
can process a wide variety of plastics including plastics contaminated with food waste, unlike traditional recycling. Pyrolysis breaks the chemical bonds in the polymers reducing them into smaller molecules. Plastic can be chemically recycled repeatedly.
TRADITIONAL MECHANICAL RECYCLING
can only process a few types of plastic, typically types one and two (primarily bottles and packaging). The process requires clean sorted feedstock. Every time plastic is mechanically recycled the polymer chain becomes shorter. Plastics can only be mechanically recycled a 2 to 3 times before its quality is too degraded to be used.
Plastics are polymers - long chains of atoms.
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis breaks down plastic material into its chemical constituents by applying high pressure and high temperature in the absence of oxygen. This process generates plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO), a precursor material that can be used to produce new plastics, fuels, industrial chemicals, and other value-added products.
Pyrolysis oil produced from PUP can substitute for fossil feedstocks when manufacturing new plastic. Reducing the need for new oil extraction and refining.
"As advanced recycling becomes increasingly efficient, it is poised to play a major role in achieving global sustainability goals by reducing waste and GHG emissions," said Argonne Principal Energy Systems Analyst Pahola Thathiana Benavides.
Per Argonne National Lab Study: When using just 5% pyrolysis oil in plastic manufacturing replacing virgin petroleum products the following reductions are seen :
Unlike conventional recycling, which is largely limited to clean, sorted PET and HDPE plastics, pyrolysis can use nearly any type of plastic as feedstock.
The 91% of plastics that are currently un-recycleable can, through pyrolysis, be removed from the waste stream and turned into useful products.
Pyrolysis is a proven technology that has been extensively studied. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory released a report in November of 2023 stating that “Producing new plastic by advanced recycling of post-use plastic (PUP), instead of fossil-based production, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase the U.S. recycling rate.”
Download copy of "Life-cycle analysis of recycling of post-use plastic to plastic via pyrolysis" paper demonstrating that this process lowers Green House Gas emissions [Link]
Plastic waste affects every corner of the earth choking waterways and impacting the health of populations worldwide