Maximizing plastics lifespan through efficient mechanical recycling
Many plastics have a short lifespan. With nearly 70% of the 350 million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year being single-use plastic, it’s clear that we need to decouple the production of plastics from fossil resources by increasing recycling quotas.
Mechanical recycling is one of the most efficient methods to recycle plastics, by transforming end-of-life thermoplastics into new products through shredding, washing, separating, and drying. This process preserves the original polymer structure, ensuring recycled materials often match the same quality as new plastics.
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Boosting recycling efficiency and quality with Evonik's innovative solutions
The benefits are significant: mechanical recycling reduces landfill waste, decreases the need for new raw materials, saves energy compared to the production of new plastics and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. It supports the circular economy by reintegrating materials into the production cycle.
During the recycling process, plastic goes through various stages and Evonik enhances this process at every stage, using our products to increase efficiency, improve recyclate quality and boost yields.
Surfactants, defoamers and much more
Evonik offers innovative specialties to enhance the efficiency and quality of mechanical recycling. In our state-of-the-art application labs, we continuously research new methods to enable the recycling of plastics without quality loss.
To increase efficiency in de-inking and de-labeling, we develop customized surfactant formulations for washing solutions. Together with our defoamers, these surfactants ensure that the washing solution penetrates effectively between surfaces, enabling clean separation of films and aluminum.
During the subsequent drying process, our additives help reduce drying time and save energy. Finally, our odor absorbers in the finished recyclate prevent unpleasant smells by fixing volatile molecules within the material.
These examples demonstrate Evonik’s fundamental contribution at every step of the process, resulting in a more economical and higher-quality outcomes.
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