What are the most promising technologies to recover valuable materials from waste?

As the world grapples with the growing waste crisis, technologies that can recover valuable materials from waste streams are gaining prominence. Biorefining, pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal carbonization, solvent extraction, membrane separation, ion exchange, and electrochemical recovery are some of the promising techniques being developed to extract valuable components from waste, reducing environmental impact and conserving resources. These technologies hold the potential to transform waste into valuable products, promoting a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.

For the recovery of valuable products from heterogeneous plastic waste is pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a chemical process where heat is applied to break plastics to into various products such as pyrolysis oil, syngas and char. Production of pyrolytic oil and gas from the plastics is a way to reduce the dependency on fossil fuel. Microwave pyrolysis technique has advantage over other process. Because by controlling : i) type of the feedstock, ii) particle size and iii) temperatures of the reactor, the yield rates can be increased. By optimizing the reactor operations the emissions of harmful gaseous products can be reduced. The thermal degradation of plastics releases sixteen types of PAHs compounds to the environment and PAHS are carcinogenic.

Converting waste into energy is an approach towards a greener tomorrow. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the sustainable solutions which is revolutionizing waste management. AD is a set of processes, that follow each other in a particular order by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. As the result of process AD collects methane which is a source of renewable energy and carbon neutral i.e. no net increase in atmospheric CO2. Other environmental benefits obtain from AD are: i) odor reduction, ii) pathogen control, iii) minimizing sludge production, iv) conservation of nutrients, and v) reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. AD reactors gives low efficiency, operational monitoring is needed.

To disseminate the use of the available technologies it is important the companies include the energy recovery in the EMS management, thinking about the best way to recovery the energy accordind to their own process. For example, a Waste Destination company could invest in using gasification, while a steel industry could include a new path in the process to reuse the waste, it is not so simples, but an effort made togheter the industry and goverment to resume environment impact could help the amplification of the technologies uses. The goverment could review taxes to the companies that adopte this mensures.

The digital product passport holds the incentive to push for a more consistent approach, cross sectors into gaining responsibility and propriety over the materials embedded in the product and the business models intended to keep them in the loop. Repair and remanufacturing, upgrading should also be considered in this context.

Any business can start by asking 'what happens to my waste', then taking steps to find answers. Dig deeper than just simple statements from waste and recycling contractors. Engage this supply chain more fully to unlock data and identify opportunities for resource and cost efficiency. Also look at how you can measure waste and by products before they are taken off site. This may identify opportunities to reduce waste in the first place or build a closed loop for certain materials that will save money, materials and carbon. If this seems time consuming and complex, our data platform WasteMap will deliver all of the above, unlocking value in waste supply chains, driving efficiency, measuring impact and improving reporting.