MATTER

Context

With increasingly complex fractions of plastic (packaging) waste being collected through different systems, e.g. the upcoming P+MD fraction, a good balance will need to be sought between source separation, the separation technologies used in the sorting facilities and the final performance of recycling/reprocessing technologies. Probably there is no one-fits-all solution, but a combination of technologies and valorization routes is required. This can be either mechanical recycling, but in this new context, innovative technologies such as thermochemical recycling might also find their place to produce chemical building blocks. This project proposal thus focuses on the (future) valorization scheme of mixed plastic waste streams, such as the P+MD fraction with a specific focus on the optimal combination between the different techniques.

Goal

The main objective of the MATTER project is therefore to develop scientific and market based criteria that can support the development of an optimal plastic waste management scheme, combining different sorting and mechanical/thermochemical recycling technologies. In this project knowledge will be gathered on the influence of contamination and their relation to the optimal combination between the different recycling techniques driven by the different qualities of end products. Furthermore, the project will also include a techno-economic, societal (taking into account market structure and readiness) and ecologic (amongst others using LCA) optimization.