To reinforce its global commitment to sustainable development, especially its targets for eliminating plastic waste and combating climate change, Braskem S.A. announces that it has developed a next-generation technology for addressing plastic waste.

The process, which uses a proprietary catalyst and incorporates efficient heat management, reduces the need for external energy sources. This results in a significant reduction in CO2e emissions compared to the traditional advanced recycling technologies.

According to Jan Kalfus, Global Bioprocess Catalysis & Circularity Manager at Braskem, the idea of this unique technology first emerged in early 2020, in the United States, but the technology's use will not be limited to the country.

Braskem's next-generation technology for advanced recycling uses catalyst and incorporates efficient heat management.

"The launch will be global as opportunities emerge. We want to develop a new way to drive advanced recycling, which is a process that transforms plastic waste into molecular building blocks such as propylene and ethylene that are used for making new, circular plastics and chemical products, thereby reducing plastic waste and the need for fossil fuels worldwide," he explained.

The project has demonstrated high production yields for valuable intermediates, such as aromatics and monomers, which can be used to remake circular plastics.

"Today, the technology is being further developed and we are scaling up our reactor that will provide important data to support our future expansion. The pilot project is planned for 2025 and the technology should become available at scale by 2030," he said. 

In Braskem's new process, the catalyst acts as a scissor that breaks plastic waste down into its molecular building blocks, which are then used for making the plastics used in so many items we find in our daily lives.

These molecular building blocks, also known as monomers, can be used directly in current plastics production facilities to manufacture new plastics using recycled materials. The product resulting from this process is equivalent to conventional plastic and fully recyclable.

To reinforce its global commitment to sustainable development, especially its targets for eliminating plastic waste and combating climate change, Braskem S.A. announces that it has developed a next-generation technology for addressing plastic waste.

The process, which uses a proprietary catalyst and incorporates efficient heat management, reduces the need for external energy sources. This results in a significant reduction in CO2e emissions compared to the traditional advanced recycling technologies.

According to Jan Kalfus, Global Bioprocess Catalysis & Circularity Manager at Braskem, the idea of this unique technology first emerged in early 2020, in the United States, but the technology's use will not be limited to the country.

Braskem's next-generation technology for advanced recycling uses catalyst and incorporates efficient heat management.

"The launch will be global as opportunities emerge. We want to develop a new way to drive advanced recycling, which is a process that transforms plastic waste into molecular building blocks such as propylene and ethylene that are used for making new, circular plastics and chemical products, thereby reducing plastic waste and the need for fossil fuels worldwide," he explained.

The project has demonstrated high production yields for valuable intermediates, such as aromatics and monomers, which can be used to remake circular plastics.

"Today, the technology is being further developed and we are scaling up our reactor that will provide important data to support our future expansion. The pilot project is planned for 2025 and the technology should become available at scale by 2030," he said. 

In Braskem's new process, the catalyst acts as a scissor that breaks plastic waste down into its molecular building blocks, which are then used for making the plastics used in so many items we find in our daily lives.

These molecular building blocks, also known as monomers, can be used directly in current plastics production facilities to manufacture new plastics using recycled materials. The product resulting from this process is equivalent to conventional plastic and fully recyclable.