New Trends in Circular Economy: Innovative Breakthroughs in High-Performance PCR Plastics

I. Global Policies Drive Market Change

  The plastic circular economy is ushering in an unprecedented policy dividend period. Starting in 2023, many countries and regions around the world will begin to implement mandatory recycled plastic content requirements, pushing the PCR plastic market from a "moral option" to a "compliance requirement". The UK's plastic packaging tax, which will be implemented from April 2024, stipulates that plastic packaging that uses less than 30% recycled materials will be subject to a tax of £200 per ton1. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) requires that all plastic packaging contain at least 50% recycled materials by 2030.

In the field of electronics and electrical appliances, China's "Specifications for the Use of Recycled Plastics in Electrical and Electronic Products" was issued in 2023, clearly stipulating the target addition ratio of recycled plastics in products such as washing machines and air conditioners6. This policy will directly stimulate the growth in demand for PCR engineering plastics, especially high-end materials such as PC and PC/ABS.

Driven by the policy, the PCR plastic market has shown explosive growth. According to Grand View Research, the global PCR plastic market will reach $89.5 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.2%. Among them, the electronics and automotive industries will become the fastest growing application areas, accounting for more than 40% of the market share.

2. Technological innovation breaks through performance bottlenecks

  Upgrade of sorting and cleaning technology

Efficient sorting is the basis for obtaining high-quality PCR raw materials. The new generation of sorting technology has achieved molecular-level identification:

AI visual sorting system: Identify plastic type and color through machine learning, with a sorting accuracy of >99%

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS): Accurately identify additives such as bromine-containing flame retardants

Hydrophobic flotation: Separate PE/PP mixtures using surface tension differences

For severely polluted post-consumer recycled materials, the ZSK FilCo compounding extrusion system developed by Coperion achieves one-step filtration and modification. The system first melts and homogenizes the waste plastic, then removes contaminants through an integrated filter, and finally re-feeds it into the modification zone to add reinforcement materials2. Compared with the traditional two-step method, this technology reduces energy consumption by 50%, while avoiding polymer degradation caused by secondary melting.

High-performance modification technology

Nano-enhancement technology has made a major breakthrough in the field of PCR plastics. Studies have shown that adding 0.8-1.5 parts by weight of nano-zirconia and 2-3 parts by weight of polarized particles can increase the whiteness of PCR PC to 98.6% and the transmittance to 91.2%8. This breakthrough has enabled PCR materials to be successfully applied to fields with strict requirements on optical performance, such as backlit keyboards of high-end notebooks.

Chemical recycling technology has also made progress. The chemical depolymerization process developed by Covestro can depolymerize waste PC products into monomers, and the performance of the recycled materials is exactly the same as that of the original materials. This technology has been commercialized with an annual processing capacity of 25,000 tons.

Innovative alloy development

Weather-resistant enhanced PCR PC/ABS: Adding hollow silica microspheres (0.3-0.8μm, hollow ratio>90%) to improve weather resistance

High-flow PCR PET/PC: Controlling ester exchange through reactive compatibilizers, the melt index is increased by 35%

Flame-retardant halogen-free alloy: Suzhou Waldorf SustainX® series achieves 1.5mm V-0 flame retardant grade