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PCI Magazine recently had the opportunity to interview Giona Kilcher, Global Business Director, CASE, at Trinseo, about the pivotal role of chemical recycling in advancing the sustainability of latex binders. In this interview, Kilcher delves into how chemical recycling, traditionally associated with plastics, is now being harnessed to make latex binders more environmentally friendly. He discusses the current technologies, the challenges faced in the recycling process, the impact on product performance, and the future adoption of these technologies within the coatings industry. Kilcher’s insights provide a comprehensive look at the potential of chemical recycling to revolutionize sustainable practices in the production of latex binders and other applications.

Kilcher: While generally used for plastic, chemical recycling is an invaluable tool in furthering the sustainability of latex binders for coatings and many other applications. Binders are not inherently circular today, but chemical recycling enables the replacement of fossil resources in the making of latex.

Post-consumer plastics are collected from various value chains at the end of their life, and through the chemical recycling process, re-purposed into a high-quality monomer for major feedstocks. Today, the technology has been scaled for several monomers, including styrene and MMA, but many more are expected to join. This capability allows manufacturers to retain monomers in the value chain, thus reducing consumption of virgin fossil resources, and improving the sustainability and carbon footprint of the coating product and other valuable solutions.

Regulators will look at this new technical opportunity as a guide to set new and ambitious sustainability standards. It will be critical for industry leaders to access this novel and rapidly evolving solution to incorporate more environmentally friendly materials into their portfolios, as chemical recycling technology provides industry players with improved access to readily available, sustainable feedstocks.

Kilcher: Several technologies are being trialed and validated for chemical recycling, including depolymerization. This critical technology is used to create feedstocks for coatings, returning polymers to their constituent monomers, and recycles them without the physical degradation that comes with mechanical recycling. This process not only supports increased recycled content and overall recycling rates, but it can also reduce manufacturing demand for virgin materials.

Furthermore, the recycled monomer exhibits performance characteristics similar to virgin-based MMA feedstocks when used in latex binders.

Other technologies continue to be developed but remain in the early stages of testing. Given the complex nature of plastic waste, as well as the different plastic and polymer properties needed, manufacturers will likely need to utilize several chemical recycling technologies to create sustainable feedstocks that meet the diverse needs of their product portfolios.

Kilcher: The challenges of chemical recycling lie in efficiency and economic benefits. Manufacturers looking to utilize these technologies must first create a robust process design to determine what waste they are capable of recycling, and what monomers can be produced as a result.

Companies must then look at their yield rates. For example, if a manufacturer is feeding 100 kilograms of plastic into the chemical recycling process, what is the quantity of the final monomer being created? A low yield rate shows that the previously designed process is not efficient or economical, while a higher yield rate demonstrates that the company can generate a quantity of recycled feedstocks capable of supporting its business operations.

However, the biggest obstacle is consistently creating a high-purity monomer. A recycling process can be designed with a high yield rate, but if it produces a poor-quality monomer that will not be usable later in production, it will break the previously established value chain.

Looking ahead, the coatings industry as a whole will face challenges as circular economy targets and policies are being implemented. The Eurpoean Union has put forward ambitious targets, and several value chains will be needed to ensure these goals are met. Chemical manufacturers will need to develop the necessary infrastructure for waste collection while also creating approaches to implement circular products that align with evolving governmental regulations.

Kilcher: The goal of using a recycled monomer is to create a chemistry that will not impact product performance and can be phased directly into production, while providing the same performance as its fossil-based counterparts. However, monomers of lower quality can impact the polymerization process and cause damage.

An integrated latex manufacturer—a partner invested in chemical recycling technologies and binder production—can help solve these challenges. They can examine the entire production process to determine the cause of impurities and then work within their established value chain to improve recycling capabilities, enhance latex binder production, and create a product that meets performance expectations.

Furthermore, choosing the right chemical recycling technology can help support a higher-performing monomer. Certain recycling processes, such as de-polymerization, can prevent degradation that may happen during other chemical recycling technologies.

Kilcher: Chemical recycling is not yet well known in the coatings industry, and there is work to be done to share its value for further adoption. Manufacturers should educate their customers about chemical recycling technology and explain the production process for recycled monomers. From there, manufacturers can also dive into how recycled materials impact performance and offer a lower carbon footprint, in turn improving the application’s environmental impact.

Going beyond raising awareness of the technology, industry players will need to examine their manufacturing processes and create plans to adopt chemical recycling technologies known to support the industry. Companies should also consider establishing the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification’s mass balance approach, which will allow tracking of certified sustainable materials and fossil raw materials during a mixed production process. Doing so will enable manufacturers to validate the sustainability of their materials based on accurate data while following certification guidelines.

Understanding the benefits of chemical recycling and creating a production plan is crucial to increasing the uptake of depolymerization and other technologies within the coatings industry. Chemical recycling is, and will continue to be, a valuable asset for the coatings, adhesives, elastomers, and sealant industries. However, industry players must first understand the process and have an implementation plan to take advantage of it.