INVITE Science Talk 2025 - Sustainability
We invite you to an INVITE Science Talk where we take a deeper dive in sustainability. Aim is to keep the dialogue and interaction within our network vivid and discuss relevant topics for science and industry. It is an open event so please share it with other interested colleagues or friends.
Time: April 1st, 2025 from 10.00
Title: Process development and evaluation for the utilization of complex material streams: The case of high-value chemicals re-integration from chemical recycling of plastic
Abstract: The talk addresses the process design and evaluation challenges associated with the recovery of high-value chemicals, such as naphtha, aromatics, and monomers, from plastic waste as an example for the utilization of complex material streams. Today, three key challenges limit the design and evaluation of such processes, which are exemplary for a variety of technologies for the utilization of complex material streams: First, there is a lack of methods for the systematic integration of experimental data describing the degradation kinetics of realistic plastic waste mixtures. Existing models are typically derived from pure substances degradation, which differ significantly from waste mixtures. Second, the varying composition of recycling products such as pyrolysis oils requires robust downstream processing to enable product reintegration into industrial structures. However, no validated methods exist to assess process robustness, making objective evaluation difficult. Finally, life cycle assessments (LCAs) of respective processes are lacking, hindering knowledge-based comparisons of suitable reintegration pathways. Conducting LCAs early in development is challenging due to limited data availability, requiring new approaches to provide realistic process data at an early stage. Based on Polystyrene waste pyrolysis, solution approaches for these challenges are presented and discussed, pointing out possible pathways for a systematic and knowledge-based process development and evaluation for the utilization of complex material streams.
Presenter: Dr.-Ing. Philip Biessey, Ruhr University Bochum