Chemical Recycling (Depolymerization)

Did you know that around 40 million mattresses end up in landfills and incinerators in Europe every year? At the same time, valuable raw materials are consumed in the production of new flexible foam mattresses. Chemical recycling of mattresses can close the loop for flexible polyurethane foam. And this is how we at BASF Monomers are making a valuable contribution to sustainability.

Reducing CO₂ emissions

BASF continues to promote the recycling of foam from used mattresses. Using a process developed by BASF, monomers can be recovered from the flexible polyurethane and used to produce new mattresses of high quality. BASF continues to promote the recycling of foam from used mattresses. Using a process developed by BASF, monomers can be recovered from the flexible polyurethane and used to produce new mattresses of high quality. Find out how mattresses from recycled raw materials are used in the BASF hotel René Bohn:

Press Release with cooperation partner Neveon

Towards circularity in the recycling of mattresses | March 2, 2023

ChemCycling^®

ChemCycling^®aims to produce high-quality products from chemically recycled plastic waste on an industrial scale. BASF is collaborating with technology partners who use a thermochemical process called pyrolysis to convert plastic waste into a secondary raw material (pyrolysis oil). We can feed this oil into our chemical production network (Verbund) at the beginning of the value chain, thus saving fossil raw materials. The ChemCycling^® approach is applied to many BASF products, such as superabsorbents, dispersions, plastics, and intermediates. The resulting recycled products offer BASF’s customers differentiation opportunities, such as a measurably improved carbon footprint and savings in fossil resources. Customers can count on the same product quality and performance and benefit from the sustainable drop-in solution i.e. a sustainable substitute for a fossil raw material . Together, we can thus contribute to environmental protection.

In a nutshell: the advantages of the ChemCycling^® approach

100% substitution of fossil raw materials with recycled raw materials in the value chain
Significant reduction of the carbon footprint compared with conventional BASF products
Drop-in solution: same quality and properties compared with conventional BASF products
Available for a wide range of monomers. A list with the overview can be found here: Isocyanates
ChemCycling^®approach certified in accordance with recognized standards such as REDcert2 and ISCC PLUS

Methodology: how does the ChemCycling^® approach work?

With the development of the ChemCycling^® approach for the use of recycled raw materials in the chemical industry, BASF has broken new ground. This approach allows fossil raw materials to be replaced by recycled raw materials in BASF’s Production Verbund.

Good to know

Is chemical recycling really recycling or rather plastic-to-x?
In our ChemCycling^® project, we feed pyrolysis oil from post-consumer plastic waste into our production network to manufacture new plastics based on a mass balance approach. In this way, we are closing the loop for plastics. This process is thus in line with the definition of recycling in the EU Waste Framework Directive.

What is the difference between chemical recycling and mechanical recycling?
In mechanical recycling, plastic waste (e.g., deposit PET bottles) is cleaned, melted, and reprocessed into granulate. The chemical structure of the plastics is not changed. Therefore, the purer and cleaner the waste and thus also the recycled material, the higher the quality of the recycled product. Plastics that are recycled mechanically cannot be recycled endlessly and often cannot be used again for the same application. This is because impurities remain in the recycled plastic and the material properties change through use and reprocessing. This can cause problems with food packaging, for example.

In chemical recycling, the polymer chains of plastics are broken down into molecules that can then be used as raw materials by the chemical industry (e.g., synthesis gas, pyrolysis oil, monomers). From these, products can be made that are of the same quality as products newly made from fossil raw materials.
With chemical recycling, a different type of plastic waste can be recycled than with mechanical recycling. Therefore, chemical recycling is a useful complementary process to mechanical recycling for plastic waste that cannot be mechanically recycled for technological, economic, or environmental reasons.

How environmentally friendly is ChemCycling^®?
Mechanical recycling will continue to be the preferred recycling solution when it proves to be environmentally beneficial, technologically feasible, and economically viable. For example, sorted, single-variety plastic waste (e.g., PET bottles) can easily be recycled mechanically, resulting in a better carbon footprint than if it were recycled chemically. However, there are also types of plastic waste that are not suitable for mechanical recycling. One example is mixed waste fractions consisting of different types of plastics (e.g., PE, PP, PS) which, for economic reasons, are not further sorted for mechanical recycling. As a result, they are recycled for energy. In this case, chemical recycling is the better option.

Chemical recycling can be used to process plastic waste that is not mechanically recycled for technological or environmental reasons. While sorted single-variety waste fractions is to be recycled mechanically, chemical recycling can be used for mixed plastic waste - for example consisting of PE, PP, PS - for which further sorting is not economical.

Solution-oriented: Chemical recycling is an important addition to the recycling landscape. Changing the design of plastic products to make them mechanically recyclable is not always practical (for example, if it would degrade product properties or increase material consumption).

Virgin-quality products: In chemical recycling, plastic waste is converted back into raw materials for the chemical industry and allocated to products manufactured in BASF’s production Verbund using a mass balance method. These products have the same properties as products manufactured from fossil raw materials.

Easy to use: Our customers can process these products in the same way as conventionally manufactured products and use them in applications with high quality, hygiene, and performance requirements. These include medical applications, food packaging, and safety-related automotive parts. This helps to achieve higher recyclate use rates for products with the highest quality standards.

Transparently certified: Both the mass balance method, by which the proportion of recycled raw material is allocated to the product, and the products themselves are certified by independent auditors.

Conserves resources and reduces emissions: By using recycled raw materials, we can save fossil resources. In addition, products manufactured with chemically recycled raw materials using a mass balance approach release fewer greenhouse gases than conventional products made from primary fossil resources. This is because the plastic waste is not incinerated but used to make new chemical products.

Did you know that the required recycling rate for packaging has increased from 36 to 63 percent since the 1990s?

Since the 1990s, some framework conditions have changed, making it possible to establish chemical recycling as a complementary solution to mechanical recycling. Here are three reasons why these recycling methods work well together:

Firstly, there was less plastic waste in the 1990s and recycling was not taken as seriously as it is today. Only Germany had collection and recycling rates. Everywhere else, plastic waste was incinerated or landfilled. The required recycling rate for packaging was only 36 percent, and these volumes could be easily met using mechanical recycling. Today, the required recycling rate is 63 percent.

Secondly, there was little experience with recycling plastic packaging in the 1990s, but this is no longer the case. Many initial material problems associated with recycling have now been solved, and suitable waste streams have been found.

Thirdly, customers today are a lot more interested in using recycled raw materials than they were in the 1990s. Many companies have therefore set themselves the goal of only using packaging made from recycled materials within the next few years, for example.

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What else is included in our sustainability promise? Lupranat ZERO, BMBCert^TM, Plastics Hub

Chemical Recycling (Depolymerization)

Reducing CO2 emissions

ChemCycling®

In a nutshell: the advantages of the ChemCycling® approach

Methodology: how does the ChemCycling® approach work?