^ p .
IL-
ard Stu
"This is a new-to-the-
world industry with
huge energy savings.
Recycling plastics uses
only roughly 10 percent
of the energy that it
takes to make a pound
of plastic from virgin
materials."
Dr. Mike Biddle
President
MBA Polymers
Plastics in Products in MSW (1999)
3.8%
soft drink milk and other bags, sacks, other
bottles water bottles containers and wraps packaging
Of the estimated 22.4 million tons of plastics produced in the United
States in 1998, only about 5.4 percent were recovered for recycling.
Plastics used in durable goods (such as cars, electronics, and appli-
ances) account for the largest proportion by weight of plastics in
U.S. municipal solid waste (MSW). However, the mixed waste streams
characteristic of these harder, engineered plastics are difficult to
separate and, thus, complex to recycle. New separation technologies
could increase recycling rates for plastics significantly.
Separating Plastics
The technical difficulties and high cost associated with separating plastics have
limited recycling in the past. Post-consumer products often contain as many as 20
different types of plastic materials as well as non-plastic materials such as wood,
rubber, glass, and fibers. In addition, the dynamic nature of the plastics business
produces a steady stream of new products and pigment types, which can pose a
challenge to the recycling infrastructure. Consequently, the cost of producing vir-
gin materials is often less than the cost of collecting and processing post-con-
sumer plastics. Three new separation technologies, developed by MBA Polymers,
Argonne National Laboratory, and Recovery Plastics International (RPI), could
break down these barriers and increase plastics recycling.
Automated Separation
MBA Polymers, with early financial support from the American Plastics Council,
U.S. Department of Energy NICE3 program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Department of Commerce (NIST ATP), State of California CalTIPP, and Vehicle
Recycling Partnership, developed a process in which plastic scraps from computers
and other electronics are first ground into small pieces. Magnets
and eddy-current separators then extract ferrous and non-ferrous
metals. Paper and other lighter materials are removed with jets of
air. Finally, a proprietary sorting, cleaning, and testing process
involving various technologies, enables the company to separate
different types of plastics and compound them into pelletized
products comparable to virgin plastics.
Froth Flotation
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), with support from the U.S.
Department of Energy, developed a process to separate acryloni-
trile-butadiene styrene (ABS) and high-impact polystyrene
(HIPS)—two common forms of plastics—from recovered automo-
biles and appliances. The froth flotation process separates two or
more equivalent-density plastics by modifying the effective density
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of the plastics. The key to this tech-
nology is carefully controlling the
chemistry of the aqueous solution—
the "froth"—so that small gas bub-
bles attach to the material's surface
and enable the plastic to float to
the top.
Skin Rotation
Recovery Plastics International (RPI)
has developed an automated process
capable of recovering up to 80 percent
of the plastics found in automobile
shredder residue (ASR). RPI predicts
that its new skin flotation technology
could divert approximately one-third of
the estimated 7 million tons of ASR
disposed of each year. The process
begins with the separation of light lint
materials, followed by the removal of
rocks and metals, granulation, wash-
ing, and, finally, automated "skin
flotation" separation. This final step
adds a skin of plasticizer to make the
surface of the targeted plastic
hydrophobic. Air bubbles then can
attach to the plastic, allowing it to
float above denser, uncoated pieces.
Projected Energy Savings
I virgin materials
Plastics recovery, in addition to
increased diversion from disposal,
results in significant energy savings
(an estimated 50-75 MBtu/ton of
material recycled) compared with the
production of virgin materials.
Reducing energy use, in turn, leads to
reductions in greenhouse gas emis-
sions due to avoided fuel use.
Limiting the plastics that enter
landfills can lower the costs associ-
ated with waste disposal by reduc-
ing tipping fees. In addition, plas-
tics recyclers expect to sell recycled
plastic pellets for as much as 70
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
^ 1
primary fuel use electricity total
energy use energy
use use
percent of the typical price for vir-
gin plastics. Recyclers will profit
from selling their product, while
purchasers will benefit from the
reduced price of recycled plastic.
Challenges
MBA Polymers has been fully commer-
cial for more than a year. Ironically,
one of the greatest barriers to opera-
tional expansion is the lack of avail-
able material. Computer recyclers
increasingly find it cheaper to export
intact units rather than dismantle the
units in the United States. The market
demand for recycled plastic resin is
clearly growing, but the difficulty is
collecting the material and getting it
to the recyclers economically. A more
developed infrastructure is needed to
provide separators with a constant
stream of source material.
The other separation technologies are
still largely pre-commercial The next
step for these emerging technologies
is to conduct pilot studies and estab-
lish permanent facilities.
The economic viability of these sepa-
ration technologies is still largely
speculative, but projections made by
Argonne National Laboratory and
Recovery Plastics International inch'-
EPA 530-F-02-023
July 2002
www.epa.gov
cate that processing recycled plastics
will cost the same or less than manu-
facturing plastics from virgin materi-
als. Operation costs for processing
recycled plastics are estimated in the
range of 10-20 cents per pound,
which should make recycled plastic
resin competitive with costs for exist-
ing virgin plastics.
Initial capital costs can be prohibi-
tive, but the payback period is rela-
tively short. RPI estimates that the
initial capital cost to install a com-
mercial-size plastics recycling facility
(capable of producing 20 million
pounds per year) ranges from $2-5
million and has a typical payback
period of one to three years. The two
other separators estimate two-year
paybacks for capital costs.
Additional
Information
American Council for an Energy-
Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
http://www.aceee.org/
MBA Polymers
Dr. Mike Biddle
Mbiddle@mbapolymers.com
http://www.mbapolymers.com/
Argonne National Laboratory
http://www.anl.gov/
Recovery Plastics International
Ronald Kobler
rpislc@efortress.com
EPA's Climate and Waste Program increases
awareness of climate change and its link to
waste management in order to (1) make green-
house gas emissions a factor in waste manage-
ment decisions and (2) employ waste manage-
ment as a mitigation action for reducing green-
house gas emissions. For additional information
on EPA's Climate and Waste Program, see
www.epa.gov/mswclimate.
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Vegtable Oil-Based Inks
on Recycled Paper
(Minimum 50% Postconsumer)
Process Chlorine Free
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