Chemistry instead of fire

Although Germany has a well-developed system for recycling plastic waste, not all types of waste can be mechanically recycled. This applies in particular to mixed plastic waste, which is still generated during sorting. Currently, this material is burned for energy production. The authors of the study "Comparative life cycle assessment of pyrolysis - recycling Germany's sorted mixed plastic waste" (published in Chemie Ingenieur Technik) argue that incineration can be avoided by chemical recycling.