Plastic has a problem; is chemistry the solution?

Few plastics get recycled—only about 9% in the US and 15% in Europe. The mechanical recycling that dominates today is hampered by contamination and a high variety in plastic waste streams. And those plastics that are recycled usually get turned into less-valuable products. Chemical recycling might offer help. Depolymerization can break down polyester and polystyrene into their raw materials for conversion back into new polymers. And pyrolysis can turn mixed plastic waste into naphtha, which can be cracked into petrochemicals and plastics. But experts say chemical recycling won’t work unless it is deployed at large scale. Chemical makers are investing to do just that. Business is taking off for Agilyx. Eighteen months ago, the small company opened a plant in Tigard, Oregon, that uses pyrolysis to break down about 10 metric tons (t) per day of polystyrene waste into its starting material, styrene. Big chemical companies have since been beating