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Resource efficiency: Best Practices forthe recovery of plastics waste in Europe
Aafko Schanssema - September 2007
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Best Practices for the recovery ofplastics
waste in Europe
Facts, experience, recommendations and guidelines
by PlasticsEurope, 2006
Outline:
- What are plastics and why use them?
- Life Cycle thinking: Plastics and resource efficiency- Recovery options for plastics
- Eco-efficiency
- Promoting recovery/best practices
- Conclusions & lessons learnt- Sources of information
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What are plastics ?
Materials made in a chemical reactionconnecting building
blocks in a long chain (polymers); these materials can bemoulded into shapes or films.
Usually the building blocks mainly containing hydrogen,carbon and often oxygen - are derived from fossil fuels (oiland gas), the so called hydrocarbon feedstocks
Conventional fossil fuel based polymers represent more than99% of plastics produced
There is increasing interest in the use ofrenewable rawmaterials as hydrocarbon feedstockfor plastics, butconventional plastics are expected to remain predominant
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Why use plastics?
They are versatile, light weight, resource efficient
materials, enabling quality of life. They contribute to energy savings and associated climate
change effects across the whole life-cycle of numerous
products Lightweight
Insulating properties
Design flexibility
Can be recovered as material and/or
energy at end-of-life
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Important question: Are plastics sustainable? Largely made of non-renewable
resource;
Oil refining and cracking is energyintensive;
Plastics waste often ends-up inlandfill or is littered
Question: What is sustainable use ofoil?
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Answer Yes: Life Cycle Thinking
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Cradle: Does plastic influence oil and gas
availability?Heat, electricity
and energy
42%
Transport45%
Plastics4%
Chem/
petrochem
feedstock
4%
Other (non-
energy use)
5%
NO!
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Increased resource efficiency in
production and processing
Almost all feedstocks are produced in efficient,
integrated petrochemical complexes
Continued innovation has ensured dramaticimprovements in resource efficiency for plastics raw
materials (the PP example is typical for all plastics)
Processing technologies developed to use minimum of
material, with more than 90% of production scrap beingrecycled (most plants have less then 2-3 % waste)
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Example Polypropylene
Propylene
Comonomer
Auxi liair ies
100%, 1185 kg1964
Atmosphere
4,4% average (52 kg)
Waste water
3,6% (43 kg)
Landfill
7,6% (90 kg)
PP 1000 kg
Propylene
Comonomer
Auxi liair ies100%, 1023 kg
1988
Waste gas to incinerator
1,7% average (17 kg)
Work-up of waste and
landfill 0,6% (6 kg)
Polymerization
PropyleneComonomer
Auxi liair ies
100%, 1005 1015 kg1999
Waste gas to incinerator
0,5 - 1,5% range (5-15 kg)
Polymerization
PP 1000 kg
PP 1000 kg
Polymerization
Yield
84 %
97 %
99 %
99.7 %Today:
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Plastics contribution to resource efficiency
during the use phase What were the net effects in Western Europe if
plastics did not exist?
Total energy to produce, use and recover plastics inWestern Europe is 3.900 Mill GJ/a
Substitution of plastics where possible would needadditional energy of 1.020 Mill GJ/a (+ 26%!)
Additional GHG emissions if plastics were substituted: 97Mt/a or 56% more than in total life cycle of all plasticproducts today
Source: GUA, Vienna for PlasticsEurope, 2005)
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Results are equivalent to ...
1.020 Mill GJ/a additional energy needed for
substitution of plastics is equivalent to:
22,4 Mill tonnes of crude oil or 43 ultra large crude oil tankers(a row of 20 km of ultra large crude oil tankers)
primary fuel input of 10 nuclear power plants with 1.000 MW
heating and warm water for 40 Million people (half of Germany)
97 Mt/a additional CO2 emissions are equivalent to:
30% of the Kyoto reduction target for the EU-15in the period 2000 2012 (319 Mt/a)
CO2 emissions from 90% of private cars in Germany
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Plastics and End-of-Life management
Plastics are designed for all end-of-life options: re-
use recycling recovery Re-use: both one-way and re-usable articles are used
Recycling: good examples are industrial films and PET
bottles Recovery: other recovery options like feedstock recycling,
or energy recovery should be used formixed/contaminated plastics and complex materials
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The recovery options of plastic waste
ReuseMechanical
recycling
Feedstock
recycling
EnergyRecovery/
generation
Landfill
Waste
Consumer products
Plastic materials
Raw material derived from oil/natural gas
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Why recover plastics waste?
Plastics much too valuable to be thrown away
All plastics can be recovered
To save materials and energy and contribute to
resource efficiency
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Landfill is least preferred option
Large quantities of Greenhouse Gas emissions
(food, bio waste) Waste of material and energy
resources (metals, plastics )
Extending recovery is main factor
(recycling, composting, energy recovery)
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Mechanical recycling is THE preferred option,
when
Homogeneous, clean waste streams
Can replace virgin on close to 1:1 basis
Markets exist or can be developed, and whenspecifications are met
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Be aware of high recycling cost of grades
from mixed plastics waste
Price
reduction
(Quality)
Price recycled
gradePrice Virgin
MaterialTo be paidLoss
Dismantling
Preparation
Compounding
Collection,
Transport
0
0.500
1.000
1.500
Euro / t
Contami
nated
/Com
plex
mixt
ures
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Feedstock or chemical recycling
Conversion via a chemical reactioninto an hydrocarbon
or mixture of hydrocarbons Often in an existing large industrial installation
Advantages:
Suitable for mixed or laminated plastics
Contamination less a problem
Secured emission controlExamples: Blast furnaces, Gasification to syngas, non-
ferrous smelters
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Feedstock recycling limitations and future
Today:
One commercial large scale gasification to methanol plant
in operation in Germany Germany and Austria rely very much on the blast furnace
option
Future: Many promising technologies, the result of many years of
innovative R&D
Technology allows further innovation in plastics materialdevelopment
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Eco-efficiency of plastics packaging recycling
Study: TNO for APME (2001)
EU scenarios of landfill versus increasing recyclinglevels combined with energy recovery from MSWI
Diversion from landfill single most important factor.
Increasing recycling from 15 50% has nosignificant environmental benefit but costs increase3X
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Eco-efficiency of plastics packaging waste
recovery options
Customer-
related
benefit:
Recovery of
1 kg plasticspackaging
waste from
industry and
households
Economic costs (in relative terms)
Enviro
nmentalimpact(inrelativeterms)
0
0,5
100,51
landf ill (100%)
now (70 % landfi ll)
15 % mechan. recyc.85 % energy recovery
increase of recycling;
decrease of energy
recovery
maximum recyc. (50%)
no landfilling:
1
2
3
45
6
Source: APME/TNO 2000
high environmental impact
high costs
low environmental impact
low costs
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Recovery options for plastics from end-of-life
vehicles + E&E
mechanical
recycling
sorting
dismantling of
large plastic
parts
shredder residue
treatment
large industrialtechnologies:
feedstock recycling
energy recovery
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Eco-efficiency of ELV plastics recovery
Options for various plastics parts in vehicles
Study: ko Institute for APME (2003)
Mechanical recycling best for large, accessible mono-
material parts For most parts energy recovery / feedstock recyclingroutes are most eco-efficient
Landfill is worst option
Energy savings during service life moreimportant than end-of-life recovery
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Heating value of plastics
05
10
15
2025
30
35
40
45
50
Gas Oil Plastics Coal Wood
MJ/kg
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Energy recovery includes a range of options
Municipal Waste Incineration
Co-combustion of Solid Recovered Fuel
(e.g. CEN Standards) Cement industry,
Coal fired power plants,
Pulp/paper industry
Low emissions covered by WID All provide environmental advantages over
power from coal (saving primary fuels and CO2)
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Future directions energy recovery
Increasing importance of standardised recovered fuels as
energy source (a tradable non-waste?) Increased acceptance of MSWI as essential component
of waste management options
Gasification technologies together with biomass as
clean fuel input to conventional power stations (or as
stand alone units)
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Waste treatment options -Economics
MSWI gasificationuse of CO/H2
Mechanical recyclingof post-consumer
power plant,cement kiln
landfill
?
Industrial films
Contaminated/Complexmixtures
Gate fees/costs
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0
1.000
2.000
3.000
4.000
5.000
6.000
7.000
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
x1.000
tonnes
Feedstock recycling (raw mater ial) Mechanical recycling Energy recovery
EU 15 + N/CH
Change from EU15+2 to EU25+2
19%
32%
15%
7%
Plastics recovery in W. Europe (1991 2004)
17%
22%
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0 20 40 60 80 100
Greece
Cyprus
Malta
Lithuania
Estonia
PolandLatvia
Hungary
Ireland
Slovenia
United Kingdom
Czechia
Finland
Slovakia
Spain
Portugal
Italy
France
Norway
Netherlands
Luxemburg
Aust ria
Belgium
Germany
Denmark
Sweden
Switzerland
Recycling (1 - 33%) Energy Recovery (0 - 83%)
Recycling varies much less than energy
recovery across EU25+2 (data 2004)
Group of leading countries withrecovery rates above 80%
Source: PlasticsEurope
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Promoting general recovery -1
Learn from other countries experiences, but take accountof specific local conditions and infrastructure
Engage with all relevant stakeholders and collect properstatistics of wastes sent for recycling, energy recovery,landfill
Ensure existing landfill and incineration facilities meetrequirements of EU legislation
Promote diversion of high calorific waste including plasticswaste from landfill
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Aim for an integrated system of recovery options:recycling, composting, incineration/combustion, (landfill)
Size the solid waste incineration unit appropriately
Employ Combine Heat & Power generation where possiblein solid waste incineration plant
Actively promote the use of Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF),enhancing security of energy supply
Plan on the basis of proven technologies Plan on basis that waste will increase over time
Promoting general recovery -2
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Promoting plastics recovery (Packaging)
Encourage an integrated approach to municipal wastemanagement, creating a region sufficiently large to combine treatment and sorting
centres with an appropriately sized MSW Incineration plant. Where possible with combined heat & power (CHP), supplying local
infrastructure
Develop streams for recycling progressively
Focus recycling of plastics packaging on industrial filmpackaging and on bottles from household waste. The bottles should be integrated into the municipal waste collection
scheme together with collection of other packaging materials
Recognise importance of communication with public toincrease quality of waste streams
BP example implemented in Belgium
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Promoting plastics recovery (all plastics)
Landfill ban (since 2004) as supporting legislation
Separately collected films and bottles for mechanical recycling
Industry has increasing interest in alternative fuel
Mixed plastics separated from residual waste and shredderlight residue is utilised in cement works and blast furnace
(high calorific fraction) and pulp and fibre industry (mediumcalorific fraction)
Remaining residual waste (low calorific fraction) goes tomunicipal solid waste incineration plants with energy recovery
BP example implemented in Austria
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Promoting plastics recovery (ELV, WEEE)
Operations of dismantlers / shredders determine whetherplastics parts from cars/electronics are separated out forrecycling before shredding (e.g. bumpers)
Residual shredder light fraction used as solid recovered fuel,MSWI or low grade mechanical applications
For E&E waste possible recycling of large casings, but ifbrominated fire retardants present then should be incinerated
In general, limited possibilities for mechanical recycling ofplastic parts: driving force is ferrous and non-ferrous metal
recycling. Plastics can contribute as reducing agent
BP examples: The Netherlands, Sweden
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Promoting plastics recovery (B&C)
Determine in cooperation with converters the feasibility ofoptions for efficient recovery of building and demolition wasteplastics (e.g. PVC pipes, window frames)
Volumes currently low but will increase in the future
The PVC industry have made a Voluntary Commitment (Vinyl2010) to recycle certain quantities of PVC, and can assist indeveloping schemes.
Sometimes national legislation on demolition also promotesplastics recovery. Other separately collected plastics wastemay be suitable for conversion to SRF, but this not developed
BP examples: Denmark, The Netherlands
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Promoting plastics recovery (Agriculture)
Good source of homogeneous plastic PE films, althoughoften contaminated with soil
Substantial experience in several countries withvoluntary schemes (UK, NL, SWE, .)
Good performance with farmers delivering to collectionpoints
Potential critical issue are problems created by free-
riders
BP example: Spain
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Lessons learnt
No single country has all the best solutions for plasticswaste recovery Finding the right match between the realistic local conditions
and the best practices will increase efficiency
The strong EU legislative focus on mechanical recyclingtargets should be adapted where necessary:
to be consistent with the efficient use of resources and energyacross all phases of the life-cycle of materials, and to foster innovation
Diversion of plastics waste from landfill will increasingly
contribute to: savings of material and energy resources, in addition to the
savings made in the use phase of plastics products
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Conclusions
Minimize disposal of plastics waste to landfill Optimizesubstitution of primary resources
Use mix of all recovery options for eco-efficient wastemanagement appropriate balance between materialand energy recovery
Treatment and recovery of waste under definedenvironmental quality standards (e.g. IPPC)
Overall life cycle impact should be taken into account
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Sources of information
PlasticsEurope(www.plasticseurope.org)
Tecpol (www.tecpol.de)
European Plastics Converters (www.eupc.org)
European Plastics Recyclers (www.eupr.org)
Association of Cities & Regions for Recycling (www.acrr.org)
Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (www.cewep.com)
European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery (www.epro-plasticsrecycling.org)
Handbook for municipal waste prognosis and sustainabilityassessment of waste management systems (www.lca-iwm.net)
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Plastics
The material for the 21st century