DOI: 10.31025/2611-4135/2026.19594 ISSN: 2611-4135

Upcycling of Plastic Waste for Resource Recovery: Unveiling the Technical Challenges and Strategies towards the Commercialization of Plastic-Based Circular Economy

Muhammad Ziad, Sardar Khan, Javed Nawab, Muhammad Waqas, Cosimo Magazzino
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TThe study aimed to analyze the effect of different plastic waste, including Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and their mixture at 50:50% on the yield and quality of liquid oil through pyrolysis. A small-scale batch pyrolysis reactor with a total capacity of 10kg was commissioned and operated at 550°C with a retention time of 90minutes. Results revealed that the highest conversion (51%) of feedstock to liquid oil was recorded for PS in comparison to other types of plastic waste, whereas among the mixed plastics, PE:PS produced the highest quantity (39%) of liquid oil. The physicochemical analysis demonstrated that the obtained oils comprised mostly aromatic compounds with some alkanes and alkenes. Moreover, liquid oils from all types of plastic waste showed a range of density between 0.734 to 0.892g ml-1, viscosity (1.99 to 3.1mm2 s-1), flash point (29 to 48°C), and high heating value (37.2 to 42.4MJ kg-1). Based on the obtained results, in-depth discussion has been made on the utilization of the produced liquid oil and gases in several energy-related applications, including transportation fuel, heating, and electricity production, along with the applicability of resultant char for several energy and environmental applications. Moreover, it has been emphasized that the key bottleneck in commercializing the plastic-based circular economy concept requires a continuous supply of feedstock, characterization and pretreatment of feedstock to eliminate toxicity, approaches for reducing wax formation, technological advancements to enhance the quality and yield of pyrolysis, and detailed life cycle assessment to achieve maximum environmental and human health benefits.

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