Two recently released reports investigated the benefits of chemical recycling and dug into setting feedstock requirements for pyrolysis. In one report, commissioned by the American Chemistry Council, researchers from the City College of New York suggested that chemical recycling could help avoid climate impacts, reduce demand for energy resources and expand the circular economy. The terms "chemical recycling" and "advanced recycling" generally refer to a wide array of processes that use heat, pressure and solvents to break down the molecular chains of polymers into liquids or gasses that can then be processed into fuels, oils, waxes, new plastics or other chemical products. Using 13 up-to-date life cycle assessments, the authors of the report found that chemical recycling technologies can produce plastic and chemical products with "a reduced global warming potential compared to products made from virgin resources," a press release stated, and can also reduce the need for fos- sil energy resources by up to 97 compared to landfilling. Chemical recycling can also reduce CO2-equivalent emissions by more than 100 compared to typical end-of-life processes, the report noted, "when accounting for displaced demand for chemical products and energy." Author Marco Castaldi, professor of chemical engineering and director of the college's Earth Engineering Center (EEC), said that as "advanced recycling becomes increasingly efficient, it is poised to play a major role in achieving global sustainability goals."
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