Recycling
Area of focus Recycling aims to create circular flows and close the loop, the circular cycle, for plastics. The focus is both on developing mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste.
Why Recycling?
In order to cope with the transition to a fossil-independent economy, an increased degree of circularity of all kinds of materials is required. Today, only 16% of plastic waste in Sweden is recycled. Common to all plastic recycling is that logistics solutions and pre-treatment such as sorting, washing and size reduction will be needed, before the actual recycling step. The intervention area addresses such challenges in order to increase the region's material recycling, in particular of plastic-rich material streams.
What do we focus on?
During 2022-2025, the focus will be on technologies for chemical recycling such as pyrolysis, gasification and depolymerization. The highest priority is given to plastic-rich waste fractions, especially those that today are difficult to recycle in other ways. Projects are now underway around these technologies, which are run by, among other things, actors within the region's chemical industry, which the area of intervention can support and strengthen.
In the area of mechanical material recycling, we will focus on collaborating with existing regional testbeds and hubs at, for example, RISE to, for example, test how new recycled materials can be matched against the industry's quality requirements. In the logistics area, continued work will take place around collection, sorting, washing, and size reduction to increase the availability of plastic waste and to prepare for subsequent treatment. Textile recycling will also be dealt with at a regional level through cooperation with the Västra Götaland region, which has a political ambition to make extensive investments in circular textile industry by initiating the approach "Western Sweden - Europe's innovative tip and creative hub for circular textile design and fashion".
Our goals until 2025
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Identification and evaluation of at least two material streams with associated process paths that can be mechanically or chemically recycled into new products.
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Conditions investigated for commercialization of project results from stage 1 for at least one material stream and process path.
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Recycled plastic raw material tested in 2 new products.
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At least one material flow was evaluated with regard to logistical handling.
Project within the focus area Recycling
Complex polymer-rich material streams and their role in a circular material supply
Conversion of gasification infrastructure at Perstorp to recycled raw material and biomass, a techno-economic mapping
Demonstration opportunities GoBiGas1
End of Waste - From plastic waste to raw material
Evaluation of thermochemical recycling of disposable products from healthcare and sorted plastic-rich material streams from household waste
From reject to recycling – a feasibility study
Gasification of circular feedstocks in the chemical industry – Pilot Scale verification experiments
In-depth analysis of plastic in household residual waste and its potential for increased material recycling and reduced climate impact
Mapping of raw material resources - forest raw material and other bio raw material - a meta analysis
Mapping plastic waste streams
Material circularity through recycling of PET/polyester in preparation for BHET monomer production in Sweden
Mechanical recycling – Sorting and washing – Stages 1 and 2
Recycling of reject streams from textile and cardboard recycling is tested practically