Environmental Evaluation of Chemical Plastic Waste Recycling: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Giuliana Vinci, Laura Gobbi, Daniela Porcaro, Sara Pinzi, Miguel Carmona-Cabello and Marco Ruggeri ()
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Giuliana Vinci: Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy
Laura Gobbi: Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy
Daniela Porcaro: BDO Italia SPA, Via Ludovisi 16, 00187 Rome, Italy
Sara Pinzi: Department of Physical Chemistry and Applied Thermodynamics, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Miguel Carmona-Cabello: Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Marco Ruggeri: Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy

Resources, 2024, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Due to the high environmental burden of plastics, this study aimed to evaluate the environmental performance of chemical recycling of plastic waste through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), focusing on pyrolysis oil production as the primary output. A pyrolysis plant in Almería, Spain, was chosen as a case study. The results indicate that the production of 1 L of pyrolysis oil from plastic waste generates about 0.032 kg CO 2 eq and a water consumption of 0.031 m 3 , with other impact categories registering values of less than 0.1 kg/L or 0.01 m 2 a crop eq/L, reducing impacts in 17 out of 18 categories compared to fossil diesel. In addition, its chemical and physical properties, close to those of fossil diesel, suggest its suitability for internal combustion engines, although as a blend rather than a complete substitute. Chemical recycling also appears to be more environmentally favorable than incineration and landfilling in all 18 impact categories, achieving significant benefits, including a reduction in global warming of −3849 kg CO 2 eq/ton, ionizing radiation of −22.4 kBq Co-60 eq/ton, and fossil resource consumption of −1807.5 kg oil eq/ton. These results, thus, highlight the potential dual role of chemical recycling of plastic waste, both in mitigating environmental impacts and in supporting circular economy goals by reducing demand for virgin plastics. However, although it appears to be a promising technology, challenges associated with high energy requirements, raw material variability, and scale infrastructure still need to be addressed to ensure industrial competitiveness and significant environmental benefits.

Keywords: chemical recycling; plastic waste; pyrolysis oil; life cycle assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jresou:v:13:y:2024:i:12:p:176-:d:1549095

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