INDIA – PolyCycl, a chemical recycler of post-consumer plastics, has partnered with Re Sustainability, Asia’s largest integrated waste management company, to establish a network of feedstock facilities in India for chemical recycling.
The collaboration aims to extract low-grade plastics, such as single-use flexible films and packaging waste, from various sources and process them as feedstock for chemical recycling projects conducted by PolyCycl and its partners.
The plastics to be recycled are a mixture of different resins and are contaminated, making them unsuitable for conversion into pellets using traditional mechanical recycling methods. The first sorting and pre-processing facility will be built in Delhi.
The companies explain that by utilizing chemical recycling techniques, the plastics will be converted into a variety of hydrocarbon molecules. These molecules are crucial for producing sustainable circular polymers, green chemicals, and renewable fuels.
Amit Tandon, CEO of PolyCycl, says, “Through this collaboration, we are excited to demonstrate commercial scale extraction of low-grade waste plastics from landfills, using automated and high-throughput methods.
“A significant portion of these plastics cannot be recycled using traditional methods, and the collaboration aims to expand the quantum of plastics being recycled in the country.”
Polycycl already operates a fully continuous chemical recycling demonstration facility in Chandigarh, India.
The plant utilizes its patented AutoCharRemoval reactor design, which facilitates constant agitation of the feedstock, allowing for efficient heat transfer and continuous removal of solid residues during the pyrolysis process.
Boosting India’s circular economy
According to data from India’s Central Pollution Control Board, more than 10,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste end up in landfills across the country every day.
Globally, more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, with over 5 billion metric tonnes being dumped in landfills across various parts of the world today.
“From a material perspective, waste plastics are a reserve of hydrocarbons that we have sitting above the ground. While they currently pose environmental and societal challenges, our collaboration with Re Sustainability aims to convert them into a valuable resource for a plastic-to-plastic circular economy,” adds Tandon.
Masood Mallick, CEO at Re Sustainability, commented, “Re Sustainability’s journey toward sustainable resource recovery and a circular economy demonstrates our commitment to creating long-term value and building resilience for a more sustainable world.
“We consider green innovation and partnerships to be the two most important factors driving the circular economy in India. These factors enable large-scale environmental protection and resource recovery.”
