KINGSPORT – American manufacturer Eastman has developed a chemical recycling technology able to break down waste polyester materials into their core molecular components and use them to create new recycled plastics comparative in quality to their virgin counterpart.
Eastman’s carbon renewal technology leverages gasification, through which mixed plastics are deconstructed into hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules. The process enables Eastman to use mixed plastics as feedstock instead of fossil fuel resources.
Having proven the efficacy of this process and the subsequent development of new recycled plastics, the Tennessee-based firm has set a target of processing 50 million pounds of waste plastic in 2020, and says it will undertake various projects to increase this sum.
