Development of an innovative microwave-based process for recycling end-of-life PVC

开发基于微波的创新工艺来回收报废 PVC

• 批准号: 10060742
• 金额: $ 79.49万
• 依托单位: HALOCYCLE LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10060742
• 关键词: Development; innovative; microwave; based; process

Halogenated plastics such as PVC are highly versatile polymers used in a wide range of applications. PVC represents ~20% of all plastics manufactured globally. However, it is their useful properties (e.g. durable, non-conductive, chemically resistant) that also mean they are particularly challenging to recycle at end-of-life. Mechanical recycling is a low-cost option, but due to degradation of material, only a limited number of recycles are possible. PVC is currently excluded from chemical recycling due to the highly corrosive acidic by-products which present a significant process engineering challenge. In addition, the range of additives and plasticisers used to modulate PVCs properties increase complexity. As a result, each year in the UK, ~460,000 tonnes of PVC-waste is incinerated or sent to landfill.Recent regulatory changes prohibiting persistent organic pollutants from landfill or incineration plus introduction of the Plastics Packaging Tax means a chemical process for recycling PVC is urgently needed by both waste handlers and plastic producers.This project will lead the development of the UK's first chemical recycling plant for PVC-processing in response to growing volumes of PVC waste. Halocycle will develop an innovative microwave-pyrolysis process for depolymerisation of PVC into its constituent monomers. Non-metallic process components that are inherently acid-resistant overcome the engineering challenges with handling acidic by-products. The process will be demonstrated using cable granule PVC-waste feedstocks recovered from electrical cable metal extraction processing, currently not recyclable, as a potential downstream processing step for integration into current recycling plant processes.Technoeconomic analysis will validate technical performance and economics of process scale-up, supporting investment decision for a demonstration plant build towards commercialisation of the process. Processing of PVC into its constituent monomers provides a sustainable supply of valuable chemical building blocks for plastic production avoiding reliance on fossil-fuel based alternatives supporting a Circular Economy approach.

PVC 等卤化塑料是用途广泛的聚合物，用途广泛。 PVC 约占全球生产的所有塑料的 20%。然而，它们的有用特性（例如耐用、不导电、耐化学腐蚀）也意味着它们在使用寿命结束时回收特别具有挑战性。机械回收是一种低成本选择，但由于材料降解，只能进行有限数量的回收。 PVC 目前被排除在化学回收之外，因为其高腐蚀性的酸性副产品给工艺工程带来了巨大的挑战。此外，用于调节 PVC 性能的添加剂和增塑剂的范围也增加了复杂性。因此，英国每年约有 46 万吨 PVC 废物被焚烧或送往垃圾填埋场。最近禁止填埋或焚烧持久性有机污染物的法规变化加上塑料包装税的引入，意味着回收 PVC 的化学工艺已成为现实。废物处理者和塑料生产商都迫切需要。该项目将领导英国第一座用于 PVC 加工的化学回收工厂的开发，以应对不断增长的 PVC 废物量。 Halocycle 将开发一种创新的微波热解工艺，用于将 PVC 解聚为其组成单体。本质上耐酸的非金属工艺组件克服了处理酸性副产品的工程挑战。该工艺将使用从电缆金属提取加工中回收的电缆颗粒 PVC 废料原料进行演示，目前不可回收，作为集成到当前回收工厂工艺中的潜在下游加工步骤。技术经济分析将验证工艺规模的技术性能和经济性。向上，支持为实现该工艺商业化而建设示范工厂的投资决策。将 PVC 加工成其组成单体，可以为塑料生产提供可持续的有价值的化学原料，避免对基于化石燃料的替代品的依赖，支持循环经济方法。