Recycling of Waste Plastics is Picking up Momentum due to Investment from the Oil & Gas Sector

A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) on the global oil and gas sector, released on November 23, 2023, just before COP28 UAE , estimates the global consumption of oil and natural gas in 2022 reached staggering levels, at 97 million barrels per day (mb/d) of oil and 4,150 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas and resulted in over 18 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions! Despite these alarming figures, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon as the oil industries are increasingly allocating their investments toward emerging low-carbon energy options, particularly in the recycling of waste plastics- an area of my active research carried out in collaboration with my colleagues Muhammad Usman Azam and Inês Gra?a at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. As per IEA statistics, the energy companies are utilizating plastic waste to produce an alternative low-carbon fuel and chemical feedstock. This article aims to highlight key insights gleaned from the IEA report (IEA. CC BY 4.0) and our work.

Out of 97 mb/d of oil, about 14 mb/d is used for plastics production in 2022, seeing a rise in demand for virgin plastics, even with restrictions on single-use plastics imposed by 60 countries and promotion of recycling. Chemical plastic recycling initiatives, led by oil and gas companies, provide a promising avenue for mitigating the emissions intensity associated with current recycling methods. Specifically, the adoption of alternative methods such as solvolysis, pyrolysis, and gasification presents an opportunity for the oil and gas sector to contribute to sustainability. the following table, taken from IEA (Nov 2023), presents selected commercial-scale chemical recycling projects from the Oil and gas companies.

Direct carbon emissions associated with the production of intermediate value chemicals precursor to plastics stood around 250 Mt CO2 in 2022 just; this does not include the complete plastic manufacturing supply chain- needsless to say that there are large amounts of wastes other than carbon dioxide as well.

Being a major contrbuter to GHG emissions, the carbon footprint of plastic production is expected to increase from 6% in 2015 to 20% in 2050 if no action is taken. The transition towards chemical recycling, however, holds the potential to address this issue. Major players in the oil and gas industry, including Total Energy Corp , 壳牌 , and 埃克森美孚 , have committed to increasing recycled content in their plastic production. In the Advanced Pledges Scenarios (APS) aim to expand the collection rates for plastic waste from 16% in 2023 to 37% in 2050, globaly as IEA estimates. The proportion of recycled plastic production is projected to increase from 8% to 25% by 2050 in APS, helping to alleviate the rise in oil use for primary plastics production.

The Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario requires even higher collection rates of 50% plastics waste by 2050 and 35% use of recycled (and bio) plastics; seeing a decline to around 13.5 mb/d by 2050. This shift not only reduces reliance on oil for primary plastic production but also aligns with global efforts to decrease carbon emissions.

At the University of Aberdeen, we have developed a cutting-edge chemical recycling technology designed to minimize the carbon footprint associated with waste plastics. Our innovative process revolves around hydrocatalytic conversion, offering the potential to incorporate green hydrogen and further reduce its environmental impact. The enthusiastic participation of major oil and gas companies in waste recycling initiatives is indeed a positive development, and we anticipate and encourage the continuation of this trend. As we forge ahead, we envision a future where sustainable practices become integral to the broader efforts of industry leaders to create a more environmentally conscious and circular economy.