According to the Global Plastics Outlook, the world generates 430 million tons of waste plastic annually. Only 9% is physically recycled, while 19% is incinerated, 50% is landfilled, and 22% is discarded. The core issue of “white pollution” lies in the low recycling rate and high environmental leakage rate of waste plastics.
I. Challenges in Waste Plastic Recycling
Recycling waste plastics is critical for a circular economy, but the process faces multiple hurdles:
1. Low-value plastics are hard to recycle: Items like food containers, flexible packaging, and composite materials have high recycling costs and low profits, leading to landfill or incineration.
2. Technical limitations: Traditional physical recycling struggles with mixed or contaminated plastics, resulting in poor-quality recycled materials.
3. Weak policies and systems: Poor waste sorting in some regions, underdeveloped recycling networks, and lack of standards for biodegradable plastics hinder effective recycling.
II. Difficulties in Waste Plastic Disposal
Landfilling and incineration dominate current practices:
Landfilling consumes large areas, risks soil/groundwater pollution via toxic leachate.
Incineration requires temperatures above 850°C to meet emission standards, but is costly, energy-intensive, and emits high carbon.
Traditional physical recycling fails to handle complex plastic waste. Chemical recycling (e.g., pyrolysis, catalytic cracking) offers a solution, with pyrolysis being the most mature technology.III. Advantages of Pyrolysis Technology
Pyrolysis breaks down plastics at 450–550°C without oxygen, offering key benefits:
1. High efficiency: Converts plastics into high-value products like pyrolysis oil and gas. For example, Niutech’s continuous pyrolysis systems transform PP/PE plastics into industrial-grade oil, replacing crude oil in new plastic production.
2. Environmental benefits: Reduces CO₂ emissions vs. incineration. Closed production prevents toxic gas leaks (e.g., dioxins), and waste heat recovery cuts energy use.
3. Cost-effectiveness: Lower processing costs and high product value. Niutech’s systems handle 10,000+ tons annually, balancing ecofriendliness and profitability.
IV. Diverse Applications of Pyrolysis Oil
Pyrolysis oil can be refined for multiple uses:
1. Chemical feedstocks: Purified oil replaces virgin materials in plastic production. Niutech’s Denmark project recycles pyrolysis oil into new plastics.
2. Alternative fuels: Oil can be upgraded into diesel or gasoline. A Thailand project blends pyrolysis oil with transport fuels to cut fossil fuel reliance.
Niutech, a global leader in pyrolysis, has driven advancements with its award-winning “Industrial Continuous Waste Plastic Pyrolysis System” (winner of China’s National Science and Technology Progress Award). Key breakthroughs include solving coking issues and enabling large-scale processing. Its systems are exported to the U.S., Germany, and the UK, with landmark projects in Denmark (recycling household waste plastics) and China (medical plastic treatment in Henan).
Niutech also helps set national industry standards and boosts China’s global influence in eco-friendly tech.
Pyrolysis offers an economically viable solution to white pollution by converting waste plastics into resources. Niutech’s innovations and global projects advance both China’s environmental sector and global carbon neutrality goals. With tech upgrades and policy support, chemical recycling could become the cornerstone of plastic waste management.