Plastic waste is a growing problem for West Virginia and the world; global plastic waste is on track to triple by 2030. Plastics can take thousands of years to degrade, and release toxic chemicals that enter the water, soil and ultimately, the food supply (PDF). Conventional plastic recycling (mechanical recycling) shreds high-quality used plastics and reforms them into new plastic products. In part because only the highest quality plastics can be mechanically recycled, approximately 9% of plastic waste is recycled annually.
Chemical recycling (also called advanced recycling or molecular recycling) refers to a number of technologies that use heat and chemical reactions to break used plastic down into fuels and the building blocks of new plastics. New efforts seek to commercialize chemical recycling of plastics as a complement to mechanical recycling. This Science and Technology Note considers existing chemical recycling policies, and opportunities and challenges for chemical recycling in West Virginia.
Research Highlights
- Advanced (chemical) recycling has the potential to recycle plastics that can’t currently be recycled. Two chemical recycling facilities are planning to open in West Virginia, providing employment opportunities for West Virginians. Tax incentives and laws classifying advanced recycling as manufacturing aided this development.
- West Virginia resident groups have formed to oppose the planned chemical recycling plants in their communities, expressing concerns about the effects of pollution on local communities and pointing to similar project failures and accidents (PDF).
- Policy options include modifying the definition of advanced recycling to include mechanical recycling and to exclude plastic-to-fuels from the definition of advanced recycling.
West Virginia Opportunities and Challenges
Chemical recycling seeks to produce fuels (plastic-to-fuel), chemicals, and new plastic components (plastic-to-chemicals) from existing plastic waste. It has the potential to give new life to plastics that can’t be effectively recycled today. Unlike mechanical recycling, chemical recycling may be able to process different types of plastic waste (like water bottles, plastic films and packaging) together, presenting the potential to reduce plastic waste while providing jobs for West Virginians.
Modified from
Yadav Et. Al. (2023). Plastic-to-chemicals and fuel.
In 2023, Clean-Seas announced plans to build a $50 million plastics-to-chemicals (pyrolysis) facility in Quincy, West Virginia. The facility is expected to leverage more than $12 million in state incentives and create at least 40 full time jobs. Initially set to process 100 tons of plastic waste per day, Clean-Seas ultimately aims to process 500 tons per day and will create plastic components and fuels including hydrogen. Clean-Seas secured a $15 million loan guarantee from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA) in 2024. Projected to begin operation in Q2 2024, no construction announcements or updates were public as of July 2024.
In 2023, Empire Diversified, in partnership with WVEDA, announced a $40 million pyrolysis plastics-to-fuel facility at the Port of West Virginia in Follansbee which will supply fuels to a nearby port. The plant is expected to directly employ 25 people. Some local residents formed the Ohio Valley Environmental Advocates (OVEA), to oppose the facility. OVEA is concerned about residents' health and accidents (PDF) at similar facilities, especially in light of plans to chemically recycle PVC in Follansbee. Company spokespeople responded that the facility will operate within allowed emissions standards. The Follansbee facility is expected to begin operation in July 2024 and aims to process 70 tons of waste per day.
The most common chemical recycling process is pyrolysis: plastic waste is heated in the absence of oxygen, producing fuel and chemical products (see figure). The resulting pyrolysis oil, if treated, can be used to make new plastic components. However, due to impurities this oil can only substitute for part (usually note exceeding 20%) of the fossil-fuel derived feedstock when producing new plastic and fuel. Most chemically recycled plastic is ultimately burned as fuel. Other chemical recycling processes include solvolysis, gasification, and depolymerization, each with different pros and cons.
Research and government-commissioned reports (PDF) find technical and economic barriers to large-scale chemical recycling. These include specialized equipment and large energy requirements and vulnerability to plastic contamination. Advances in waste sorting and other technologies could improve both chemical and mechanical recycling efficiencies. A 2023 analysis found using pyrolysis to exclusively make new plastics to be 10 to 100 times worse on environmental and economic metrics than producing new plastic from scratch (so-called “closed-loop” recycling). Plastic-to-fuels and plastic-to-chemicals (“open-loop” recycling) applications are more economically feasible, but are more polluting on most measures than existing fuel and chemical manufacturing processes.
West Virginia and Other State Policies
In 2022, West Virginia defined advanced (chemical)recycling, categorizing it as a manufacturing rather thana waste management process (HB 4084). This makes chemical recycling facilities eligible for manufacturing tax incentives in West Virginia and other states, changing their regulation and oversight. Proponents say this could help new technologies and enterprises, and more closely describes the process of chemical recycling. In a move that could support the chemical recycling value chain, which starts with waste collection and sorting, West Virginia passed a law (SB 603) in 2023 exempting solid waste facilities which consolidate waste for transport toa recycling or disposal facility from a “commercial” solid waste facility designation.
As of March 2024, 24 other states have passed laws defining chemical recycling as manufacturing, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. In contrast to West Virginia’s definition, Kentucky (PDF) and Arkansas (PDF) explicitly exclude plastic-to-fuel processes from the definition of advanced plastics recycling. In doing so, Arkansas makes a distinction between recycling (“material recovery”) and energy recovery. Arkansas also includes mechanical recycling in the definition of advanced recycling. In 2024, Maine passed a law (PDF) treating chemical recycling as waste processing, prohibiting any advanced recycling facility unless they recycle at least 50% of the plastic they process. Vermont’s H.602 (2024) would ban all forms of chemical recycling if passed. Youngstown, Ohio passed a one-year moratorium on chemical recycling after residents’ significant concerns about a planned facility.
Commercialization Efforts
Major companies like Unilever, Dow, and ExxonMobil are investing millions annually into chemical recycling efforts, and demand for chemical recycling services is likely to grow. Nine commercial plants are currently operating at modest scale in the United States (with two recent closures), limiting real-world process data. Most are located in economically disadvantaged communities, and are considered “large quantity hazardous waste generators” under federal law. Chemical recycling plants and programs have experienced delays and failures to scale. Shell has quietly backed away from advanced recycling, calling previous plans “unfeasible”. In April2024, a planned $1.1 billion plastics-to-chemicals facility slated to be built in Point Township, Pennsylvania was canceled. A $680 million planned plastics-to-fuels plant in Georgia was canceled in 2022 after failing to meet commercial deadlines.
West Virginia Benefits and Risks
Possible chemical recycling benefits for West Virginia include job creation and potential reductions in plastic waste. Reusing plastic waste as fuel could reduce landfill use while contributing to the local economy. One risk is that subsidies and tax incentives will artificially support (PDF) an industry which may not succeed on its own while not significantly helping to reduce West Virginia’s plastic waste. Additionally, chemical recycling may increase pollution in West Virginia communities without creating large numbers of new jobs.
Policy Options for West Virginia
One policy option for West Virginia involves including mechanical recycling in the definition of advanced recycling, allowing traditional recycling facilities the same legal status and advantages as chemical recycling. Another option is excluding plastic-to-fuel conversion from the definition of advanced recycling, as done in Kentucky and Arkansas, to clearly distinguish between recycling (material recovery) and energy recovery. Policies which categorize chemical processing and recycling based on the technology used (PDF) or the amount of waste that becomes new plastic (PDF) (as in Maine) could be considered.
This Science & Technology Legislative Note was written by Ryan Nesselrodt, PhD, West Virginia Science & Technology Policy Fellow, on behalf of the Bridge Initiative for Science and Technology Policy, Leadership, and Communications. Please see https://scitechpolicy.wvu.edu/ or contact scitechpolicy@mail.wvu.edu for more information.
© 2024 West Virginia University. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative License Works 4.0 License.