Chemisches Recycling von Kunststoffabfällen – Aktuelle Entwicklungen und Herausforderungen

Chemical recycling comprises a range of technologies that can complement established mechanical recycling in order to increase the circularity of plastics. The packages of measures in the Circular Economy Action Plan have set the course for investments in innovative recycling technologies. In addition to the many technical challenges involved in bringing the individual technologies into continuous commercial operation, the future of these technologies also depends on the design of the regulatory framework. This article classifies the different types of chemical recycling technologies and describes and discusses the current technical and regulatory challenges. This is followed by an analysis of the potential for chemical recycling and the current market situation.