{"id":40,"date":"2024-07-19T17:10:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T17:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plasticmakers.org\/plastic-recycling-facts\/?page_id=40"},"modified":"2026-05-12T20:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:27:41","slug":"umbrella-of-technologies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/plasticmakers.org\/plastic-recycling-facts\/what-is-advanced-recycling\/umbrella-of-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"Umbrella of Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Advanced Recycling: An Umbrella of Recycling Technologies<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Advanced recycling is a broad umbrella term \u2013 also called chemical recycling or molecular recycling \u2013 that refers to several different technologies that purify or break down plastic waste into its constituent building blocks, which can then be used to create new plastic products. \u2028\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This burgeoning set of technologies is being deployed to convert used plastic into valuable materials. In complement with mechanical recycling, advanced recycling can help increase the types and amounts of plastic we can recycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advanced recycling encompasses many different technologies that use solvents, heat, enzymes, and\/or sound waves to purify or break down a wide range of used plastic to create polymers, monomers, oligomers, or hydrocarbon products that can then be reused instead of going to landfill. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Advanced recycling is a suite of different technologies.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Advanced recycling is a suite of different technologies. The most common \u2013 and those generally tending to be furthest along to scaling commercially \u2013 include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pyrolysis:<\/strong> <\/mark>Used plastics are heated in the absence of oxygen until thermally decomposed, then condensed and converted into valuable materials. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Gasification:<\/mark> <\/strong>Used plastics are heated in an oxygen-controlled atmosphere and converted into syngas that is then converted into valuable materials. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Depolymerization:<\/mark><\/strong> Used plastics are broken into smaller molecules (such as monomers) that can be used to make multiple products. Includes solvolysis, methanolysis, and glycolysis technologies. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is pyrolysis?\u00a0<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t<\/span><\/div>
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