1. Maximizing Diversion via innovative technology
August 15, 2017
Maximizing Diversion via innovative technology
Plastics to Fuel

2. ACC Plastics Division Members
The Plastics Division is a subset of the overall American Chemistry Council membership. These companies manufacturer plastic resins.

3. Plastics’ Diversion from Landfill
Unfortunately, still too many valuable plastics are being landfilled. According to the U.S. EPA, only 9.5% are mechanically recycled and another 15% are converted to electricity at waste-to-energy plants.

4. Our Vision for Plastics Recovery
Natural Gas & Oil
97% Fuels, Power, Other
CONSUMER REUSE
FABRICATION 3%
PLASTIC PRODUCTION
USE
RECYCLE
First of all, only 3% of all the natural gas and oil produced each year goes to plastics. The other 97% goes to fuel, power and other chemicals.
Note the “circular” nature of this vision. Maximize mechanical recycling, convert plastics back into feedstocks for plastics manufacturing and finally convert plastics back into energy – which it was borrowed from in the first place
POST-USE COLLECTION
CHEMICAL RECYCLING
ENERGY RECOVERY

5. Outlined in Governing Magazine Based on existing work with states
Working with States
Outlined in Governing Magazine
Based on existing work with states
Combination of policy, voluntary, and industry programs
Our recommendations for increasing plastics recycling and recovery for states was published in Governing Magazine last year.

6. Five Key Recommendations for Georgia
ADOPT Sustainable Materials Management (SMM)
ENCOURAGE sensible, broadly supported recycling policies
EMBRACE voluntary plastics recycling programs and tools
These are the five key recommendations.
LEVERAGE national partnerships for grants, loans and technical assistance
TREAT non-recycled plastics as valuable materials for conversion to fuels and chemicals

7. Opportunities and Challenges to Recycling
Consumers demanding recycled content
Private sector setting PCR/recyclability goals
Corporate/municipal “zero waste” initiatives
Voluntary producer initiatives (WRAP, Terms and Tools, Closed Loop Fund, The Recycling Partnership)
but challenges remain to real growth
“Evolving ton”
Energy prices
Economic/practical limits of recycling
China Sword
Plastics recycling has its strengths but also some tough challenges, China cutting off imports of plastics is the latest challenge

8. Plastic Packaging Reduces Impacts
Lets discuss this – too much to say in the notes here. But in a nutshell need to make the point that the non-recycled flexible coffee packaging reduces GHGs over its lifecycle by 75% compared to the “old steel coffee can” which is recycled in every community. We don’t want to go back to a less sustainable package like the steel can, but need to recover this flexible coffee packaging so its even more sustainable
Source: Franklin Associates, September, 2008

9. Plastics are Too Valuable to Waste
Columbia University found that plastics in the waste stream are a very high source of energy. Only natural gas and oil contain more energy. So why are we mining coal and burying plastics?
BTUs per LB

10. What is “Plastics-to-Fuel and Petrochemicals?
An oxygen free thermal conversion process known as “pyrolysis”
Takes non-recycled plastics (NRP) that are not recycled in commercial markets
NRP are heated until melted, then vaporized to a gas and then condensed to
liquid transportation fuels,
petrochemical feedstocks (for chemical recycling into new plastics), and
waxes and lubricants.
U.S. DOE: converting plastics to ultra-low sulfur diesel (displacing conventional diesel)*
reduces life cycle GHG emissions by up to 14%
reduces water consumption up to 63%
Reduces fossil energy use up to 97%
Versatile process with quantifiable environmental benefits that captures plastics otherwise destined for landfill
What is plastics-to-fuel and petrochemicals?
*Via Argonne National Laboratory’s Greenhouse Gases Regulated Emissions and Energy in Transportation (GREET) Model.

11. Need to Treat NRP as a Valuable Material
Light industrial Manufacturing
regulated under existing manufacturing framework
plastic feedstock not a solid waste
producing valuable fuels and raw materials
not landfills or WTE facilities
recyclers determine viable markets
allow disposal of off-spec materials and by-products
Waste Disposal
landfills
waste-to-energy facilities
plastics-to-fuel facilities
other conversion technologies
Quite simply, this process is a manufacturing process – uses a feedstock and creates a valuable commodity – thus it hinders its growth when it is wrongly characterized as regular waste disposal. We want states to understand the technology and correctly regulate this technology as manufacturing

12. Georgia Next? Unanimous Passage in Florida
The state of Florida agreed that this made such good sense that they unanimously passed landmark legislation to ensure that PTFP facilities were not regulated as waste disposal.

13. Plastics-to-Fuel & Petrochemistry Alliance
Advocating on behalf of technologies that convert non-recycled plastics to transportation fuels, chemical feedstocks, monomers and other products of pyrolysis
ACC has a “Self-funded” group comprised of companies in this space and other interested companies to help drive this technology forward.

14. Thank You! Michael Power
Director, Southern Region State Affairs American Chemistry Council