Advanced and Emerging Technology Market Research
You are at:»»The Global Advanced Chemical Recycling Market 2027-2040
Advanced Chemical Recycling Market Report 2027-2040

The Global Advanced Chemical Recycling Market 2027-2040

0

Mechanical recycling cannot solve the plastic waste problem alone. The advanced chemical recycling market exists precisely because the range of plastic waste streams that mechanical processes can handle is fundamentally limited — contaminated, multilayer, and mixed plastic waste that represents the majority of what actually reaches the waste stream requires chemical conversion to recover value. EU Packaging Regulation recycled content mandates that the mechanical recycling system cannot physically deliver have created the structural demand signal now pulling billions of investment dollars into the advanced chemical recycling market.

The advanced chemical recycling market has crossed the demonstration-to-deployment threshold. Brand owner commitments to recycled content, petrochemical company off-take agreements, and regulatory mandates have created the demand certainty that project finance requires. Commercial-scale pyrolysis, gasification, and enzymatic depolymerisation facilities are now under construction across Europe and North America. The central commercial question in the advanced chemical recycling market is no longer whether it will scale — it is which technology pathways will capture the most value across which waste stream types and in which geographies through 2040.

Advanced Chemical Recycling Market Report 2027-2040 — Key Coverage Areas

  • Thermal and Catalytic Pyrolysis — the pyrolysis reaction mechanism, feedstock requirements, reactor designs, catalyst systems for catalytic cracking, pyrolysis oil quality parameters and upgrading pathways to naphtha and petrochemical feedstock grade, and the leading commercial technology developers including Plastic Energy, Pyrum Innovations, and Recycling Technologies
  • Gasification Technology — mixed plastic waste gasification to syngas, syngas cleaning and conditioning processes, and integration of chemical recycling syngas with existing methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen production infrastructure
  • PET Solvolysis and Depolymerisation — glycolysis, methanolysis, and hydrolysis of PET back to purified terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol monomers; enzymatic PET recycling using engineered PETase variants from companies including Carbios; and quality benchmarking versus virgin PET monomers
  • PS Solvent-Based Dissolution — polystyrene dissolution and re-precipitation for high-quality recycled PS production, the commercial developer landscape, and competitive positioning versus mechanical polystyrene recycling
  • Mass Balance and Certification — ISCC PLUS, REDcert², and other mass balance certification systems enabling recycled content claims for chemically recycled material and the regulatory recognition of mass balance approaches
  • Regulatory Drivers — EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation recycled content mandates, US state extended producer responsibility legislation implications, and national chemical recycling policy frameworks by jurisdiction
  • Competitive Landscape — Plastic Energy, Pyrum Innovations, PureCycle Technologies, Carbios, Recycling Technologies, Brightmark, and corporate joint ventures between technology developers and petrochemical majors including bp, Sabic, and LyondellBasell
  • 13-Year Forecasts — advanced chemical recycling processing capacity by technology, recycled output volumes by product type, capital investment flows, and market value by technology pathway and geography from 2027 through 2040

The advanced chemical recycling market report is the essential intelligence resource for waste management operators, petrochemical companies, brand owners, and recycling technology investors.

Ideal for waste management companies, petrochemical players, packaging brand owners, recycling technology investors, and sustainability teams.

cover

cover

  • Published: July 2026
  • Pages: 414
  • Tables: 117
  • Figures: 70

 

The advanced (chemical) recycling market converts plastic waste that mechanical recycling cannot process into hydrocarbon feedstocks and monomers for the production of new plastics, fuels and chemicals. Its core purpose is to address the mixed, contaminated and multi-layer waste streams — mixed polyolefins, flexible and metallised films, carbon-black-pigmented plastics, textile blends and food-contaminated material — that make up the majority of plastic waste by tonnage and that are otherwise incinerated, landfilled or exported. 

The market is built on four principal technology families: pyrolysis, which dominates by capacity and produces an oil substitutable for fossil naphtha in steam cracking; gasification, which tolerates contamination and yields syngas, methanol and hydrogen; depolymerisation, which is polymer-specific and yields recycled monomers such as rPET, rMMA and recycled nylon; and dissolution, which recovers purified polymer. Output products range from pyrolysis oil and synthetic naphtha through recycled monomers, syngas and recovered carbon black to mass-balance-attributed circular polymers.

Demand is regulatory in origin rather than economic. Recycled feedstock is not cheaper than fossil feedstock; what creates the market is the obligation to incorporate recycled content under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the Single-Use Plastics Directive, the End-of-Life Vehicles framework, United States state legislation and Asian mandates. Because polyolefin packaging has no mechanical route to food-contact quality at scale, meeting these mandates requires advanced recycling.

The market is capital-intensive, technically demanding and marked by a wide gap between announced and operating capacity, with listed global capacity of around 6 million tonnes per year against operating capacity nearer 1.4 million. The end-2025 EU decision adopting the fuel-use excluded mass balance method resolved the principal investment uncertainty, but a wave of project failures and delays through 2024–2026 confirmed that construction, feedstock and commissioning risks remain acute. The sector also faces sustained NGO opposition over emissions, energy use and yields, making regulatory recognition, certification and buyer qualification the decisive commercial variables.

The Global Advanced Recycling Market 2027-2040 is a comprehensive market analysis of the technologies, output products, players and demand drivers converting hard-to-recycle plastic waste into circular feedstocks. It provides a data-led assessment of a market at an inflection point, where the arrival of EU regulatory certainty on mass balance accounting meets a hard reality of project failures, delays and a fourfold gap between announced and operating capacity. The report quantifies the market by technology (pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerisation, dissolution and emerging routes), by output product (pyrolysis oil and synthetic naphtha, recycled monomers, syngas and methanol, recovered carbon black and circular polymers), by end-use sector and by region, with forecasts to 2040 presented as ranges bounded by nameplate and realisation-adjusted capacity. It analyses supply-side trends including the producer landscape, feedstock availability and pricing, and the announced-versus-operating capacity gap, alongside demand and customer trends covering who buys pyrolysis oil, offtake agreements, buyer qualification and willingness to pay.

Dedicated chapters address the global regulatory landscape, including the 2025 EU fuel-use excluded Implementing Decision, PPWR, US state legislation and Asian mandates; mass balance and certification; the sustainability and LCA debate; pricing, including the decoupling of pyrolysis oil from fossil naphtha; and the 2024–2026 investment shakeout, consolidation and project attrition. It profiles the companies active across the value chain, from independent technology developers to integrated petrochemical majors, and includes detailed plant-level capacity data.

The report is intended for producers, technology licensors, petrochemical and refining companies, brand owners, investors and policymakers requiring a rigorous, current and commercially grounded view of the market. It draws on plant-level databases, company disclosures, regulatory instruments and price assessments, distinguishing announced intentions from demonstrated operation throughout.

Contents include:

  • Executive summary
  • Classification of recycling technologies
  • Research methodology
  • Introduction: plastics production, waste, pollution, the circular economy, and mechanical versus advanced recycling
  • The advanced chemical recycling market: drivers, restraints, capacities, and market sizing by technology, output product, end-use sector and region
  • Plastic waste feedstock: availability, gate fees and pricing, quality and yield
  • Global regulatory landscape: EU PPWR and SUPD, the 2025 fuel-use excluded mass balance decision, US state law, Asia and rest of world
  • Mass balance and chain-of-custody certification
  • Sustainability, LCA and the chemical recycling debate
  • Investment, funding, M&A and the announced-versus-operating capacity gap
  • Competitive landscape and market shares
  • The pyrolysis oil (PPO) market: value chain, specification and quality, supply, demand and customers, certification, pricing, forecasts and substitution
  • Advanced recycling technologies: pyrolysis, gasification, dissolution, depolymerisation, and emerging and commercialising routes
  • Materials analysis and end-product analysis: chemical feedstocks, fuels, recycled monomers, syngas and methanol, recovered carbon black and circular polymers
  • 200 Company profiles. Companies profiled include Accurec Recycling, Aduro Clean Technologies, Advanced Plastic Purification International (APPI), Aeternal Upcycling, Agilyx, Alpha Recyclage Composites, Alterra Energy, Ambercycle, Anellotech, Anhui Oursun Resource Technology, APChemi, Aquafil, ARCUS Greencycling, Arkema, Axens, BASF, Bcircular, BioBTX, Biofabrik Technologies, Blest (Microengineer), Blue Cycle, BlueAlp Technology, Borealis, Boston Materials, Braven Environmental, Breaking, Brightmark, Cadel Deinking, Carbios, Carboliq, Carbon Fiber Recycling, Cassandra Oil, CIRC, China Tianying, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Clariter, Clean Energy Enterprises, Clean Planet Energy, Corsair Group International, Covestro, CreaCycle, CuRe Technology, Cyclic Materials, Cyclize, DeepTech Recycling, DePoly, DOPS Recycling Technology, Dow Chemical Company, DyeRecycle, Descycle, Eastman Chemical Company, Eco Fuel Technology, Ecopek, Ecoplasteam, ECO RnS, Eeden, Emery Oleochemicals, Encina Development Group, Endolys, Enerkem, Enespa, Enval, Environmental Solutions (Asia), Epoch Biodesign, Equipolymers, Evonik Industries, Evrnu, Extracthive, ExxonMobil, Fairmat, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Futerro, Freepoint Eco-Systems, Fych Technologies, Garbo, Greenback Recycling Technologies, GreenMantra Technologies, Greyparrot, Gr3n, Handerek Technologies, Hanwha Solutions, Honeywell, Hyundai Chemical, Indaver, InEnTec, INEOS Styrolution, Infinited Fiber Company, Ioncell, Ioniqa Technologies, Itero Technologies, Jeplan, JFE Chemical, Kaneka, Khepra, Klean Industries, Lanzatech, Licella, Loop Industries, LOTTE Chemical, Lummus Technology, LyondellBasell, MacroCycle Technologies, Metaspectral, METYCLE and more...
  • Pyrolysis oil producer and buyer directory
  • Glossary and references

 

 

 

 

 

1             CLASSIFICATION OF RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES             23

 

2             RESEARCH METHODOLOGY              24

 

3             EXECUTIVE SUMMARY            25

  • 3.1        Market context              25
  • 3.2        The defining tension of 2024 to mid-2026  25
  • 3.3        Supply, demand and pricing 26
  • 3.4        Chemical recycling industry shakeout          26
  • 3.5        Technology diversification     27
  • 3.6        The sustainability debate       28
  • 3.7        Outlook             28

 

4             INTRODUCTION          30

  • 4.1        Global production of plastics             30
  • 4.2        The importance of plastic      31
  • 4.3        Issues with plastics use          31
  • 4.4        Bio-based or renewable plastics      31
    • 4.4.1    Drop-in bio-based plastics   32
    • 4.4.2    Novel bio-based plastics       33
  • 4.5        Biodegradable and compostable plastics  33
    • 4.5.1    Biodegradability          33
    • 4.5.2    Compostability            34
  • 4.6        Plastic pollution           34
  • 4.7        Policy and regulations              35
  • 4.8        The circular economy               36
  • 4.9        Plastic recycling           37
    • 4.9.1    Mechanical recycling                40
      • 4.9.1.1 Closed-loop mechanical recycling  40
      • 4.9.1.2 Open-loop mechanical recycling      40
      • 4.9.1.3 Polymer types, use, and recovery     41
    • 4.9.2    Advanced recycling (molecular recycling, chemical recycling)     41
      • 4.9.2.1 Main streams of plastic waste            42
      • 4.9.2.2 Comparison of mechanical and advanced chemical recycling    42
  • 4.10     Life cycle assessment             43
  • 4.11     Chemical versus mechanical recycling: complementarity and competition       44
  • 4.12     The role of advanced recycling in meeting recycled-content mandates 44

 

5             THE ADVANCED CHEMICAL RECYCLING MARKET               46

  • 5.1        Market drivers and trends      46
    • 5.1.1    Growing Environmental Concerns   46
    • 5.1.2    Stringent Regulatory Policies              47
    • 5.1.3    Corporate Sustainability Initiatives 49
    • 5.1.4    Technological Advancements             52
    • 5.1.5    Circular Economy Adoption 55
  • 5.2        Market Challenges and Restraints   56
    • 5.2.1    High Initial Investment Costs              56
    • 5.2.2    Technical Challenges               56
    • 5.2.3    Infrastructure Limitations     59
    • 5.2.4    Technological Barriers             59
    • 5.2.5    Supply Chain Complexities  62
    • 5.2.6    Cost Competitiveness             63
  • 5.3        Capacities       66
  • 5.4        Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology            69
    • 5.4.1    PE          69
    • 5.4.2    PP          70
    • 5.4.3    PET       72
    • 5.4.4    PS          73
    • 5.4.5    Nylon   74
    • 5.4.6    PMMA 76
    • 5.4.7    Others 77
  • 5.5        Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology, by region     79
    • 5.5.1    Europe                79
    • 5.5.2    North America              80
    • 5.5.3    South America              81
    • 5.5.4    Asia      83
    • 5.5.5    Oceania            84
    • 5.5.6    Africa   86
  • 5.6        Chemically recycled plastic products           88
  • 5.7        Market map    89
  • 5.8        Value chain     90
  • 5.9        Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of advanced chemical recycling processes          91
    • 5.9.1    PE          92
    • 5.9.2    PP          92
    • 5.9.3    PET       92
  • 5.10     Recycled plastic yield and cost         93
    • 5.10.1 Plastic yield of each chemical recycling technologies        93
    • 5.10.2 Prices  93
  • 5.11     Plastic waste feedstock supply and pricing               93
    • 5.11.1 Feedstock availability by region 2025-2040              94
    • 5.11.2 Gate fees, feedstock pricing and sorting costs        95
    • 5.11.3 Feedstock quality and its effect on downstream oil yield 96
  • 5.12     Market size and forecast by recycling technology 2025-2040       97
  • 5.13     Market size and forecast by output product 2025-2040    98
  • 5.14     Market size and forecast by end-use sector 2025-2040    99
  • 5.15     Regional market analysis 2025-2040            99
  • 5.16     Global regulatory landscape for advanced chemical recycling    100
    • 5.16.1 EU: PPWR, SUPD and the Waste Framework Directive       100
    • 5.16.2 EU mass balance Implementing Decision and the fuel-exempt method                101
    • 5.16.3 EU End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation 102
    • 5.16.4 United States: state legislation and EPA       102
    • 5.16.5 Asia: Japan, South Korea and China               103
    • 5.16.6 Rest of World and international harmonisation      104
  • 5.17     Mass balance and chain-of-custody certification across the sector         104
    • 5.17.1 ISCC PLUS, RSB and REDcert             104
    • 5.17.2 Attribution models compared            104
    • 5.17.3 Certification as a driver of buyer access and price                105
  • 5.18     Sustainability, LCA and the chemical recycling debate      106
    • 5.18.1 Energy use, yields and greenhouse gas emissions               106
    • 5.18.2 The recycling-versus-recovery debate and NGO criticism               106
    • 5.18.3 Toxic byproducts, permitting and community opposition 107
    • 5.18.4 Industry responses and third-party LCA evidence 107
  • 5.19     Investment, funding and M&A landscape 2024-2026         107
    • 5.19.1 Capital flows and project finance    107
    • 5.19.2 The 2024-2025 investment slowdown and its causes         108
    • 5.19.3 Consolidation, M&A and vertical integration             108
    • 5.19.4 Announced versus FID-approved versus operational capacity     108
  • 5.20     Competitive landscape and market shares               109
    • 5.20.1 Leading players by technology           109
    • 5.20.2 Market concentration and producer shares 2025 109
    • 5.20.3 Brand owner and petrochemical major commitments      109

 

6             ADVANCED (CHEMICAL OR FEEDSTOCK) RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES              110

  • 6.1        Applications   110
  • 6.2        Pyrolysis            110
    • 6.2.1    Non-catalytic 111
    • 6.2.2    Catalytic            112
      • 6.2.2.1 Polystyrene pyrolysis 114
      • 6.2.2.2 Pyrolysis for production of bio fuel  114
      • 6.2.2.3 Used tires pyrolysis   118
        • 6.2.2.3.1           Conversion to biofuel               119
      • 6.2.2.4 Co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic wastes             120
    • 6.2.3    SWOT analysis              120
    • 6.2.4    Companies and capacities  121
    • 6.2.5    Pyrolysis oil yields by feedstock and reactor type  122
    • 6.2.6    Technology licensors and PPO output specifications         122
  • 6.3        Technology commercialisation and recent advances 2024-2026              123
    • 6.3.1    Commercial depolymerisation scale-up     123
    • 6.3.2    Gasification-to-methanol commercial routes         123
    • 6.3.3    Microwave-assisted and supercritical pyrolysis     123
    • 6.3.4    Catalytic pyrolysis and yield-improvement advances        123
  • 6.4        Gasification    124
    • 6.4.1    Technology overview 124
      • 6.4.1.1 Syngas conversion to methanol        124
      • 6.4.1.2 Biomass gasification and syngas fermentation       128
      • 6.4.1.3 Biomass gasification and syngas thermochemical conversion    128
    • 6.4.2    SWOT analysis              128
    • 6.4.3    Companies and capacities (current and planned)                129
  • 6.5        Dissolution     130
    • 6.5.1    Technology overview 130
    • 6.5.2    SWOT analysis              130
    • 6.5.3    Companies and capacities (current and planned)                131
  • 6.6        Depolymerisation       132
    • 6.6.1    Hydrolysis        133
      • 6.6.1.1 Technology overview 133
      • 6.6.1.2 SWOT analysis              134
    • 6.6.2    Enzymolysis   134
      • 6.6.2.1 Technology overview 134
      • 6.6.2.2 SWOT analysis              135
    • 6.6.3    Methanolysis 135
      • 6.6.3.1 Technology overview 135
      • 6.6.3.2 SWOT analysis              136
    • 6.6.4    Glycolysis         137
      • 6.6.4.1 Technology overview 137
      • 6.6.4.2 SWOT analysis              137
    • 6.6.5    Aminolysis      138
      • 6.6.5.1 Technology overview 138
      • 6.6.5.2 SWOT analysis              138
    • 6.6.6    Companies and capacities (current and planned)                138
  • 6.7        Other advanced chemical recycling technologies 139
    • 6.7.1    Hydrothermal cracking           139
    • 6.7.2    Pyrolysis with in-line reforming          140
    • 6.7.3    Microwave-assisted pyrolysis             141
    • 6.7.4    Plasma pyrolysis         141
    • 6.7.5    Plasma gasification   142
    • 6.7.6    Supercritical fluids     143
    • 6.7.7    Carbon fiber recycling              143
      • 6.7.7.1 Processes        144
      • 6.7.7.2 Companies     146
  • 6.8        Advanced recycling of thermoset materials              146
    • 6.8.1    Thermal recycling        147
      • 6.8.1.1 Energy Recovery Combustion            147
      • 6.8.1.2 Anaerobic Digestion 147
      • 6.8.1.3 Pyrolysis Processing 148
      • 6.8.1.4 Microwave Pyrolysis  149
    • 6.8.2    Solvolysis         150
    • 6.8.3    Catalyzed Glycolysis 150
    • 6.8.4    Alcoholysis and Hydrolysis   151
    • 6.8.5    Ionic liquids    152
    • 6.8.6    Supercritical fluids     153
    • 6.8.7    Plasma              153
    • 6.8.8    Companies     154
  • 6.9        Comparison with Traditional Recycling Methods   155
    • 6.9.1    Mechanical Recycling Limitations   156
    • 6.9.2    Energy Efficiency Comparison           156
    • 6.9.3    Quality of Output Comparison          157
    • 6.9.4    Cost Analysis 159
  • 6.10     Environmental Impact Assessment                160
    • 6.10.1 Carbon Footprint Analysis    160
    • 6.10.2 Energy Consumption Assessment  160
    • 6.10.3 Waste Reduction Potential   161
      • 6.10.3.1            Wastewater     161
      • 6.10.3.2            Atmospheric Emissions         161
      • 6.10.3.3            Catalyst and Media Waste    162
      • 6.10.3.4            Maintenance and Cleaning Waste   162
      • 6.10.3.5            Waste Management Approaches     162
      • 6.10.3.6            Regulatory Considerations and Classification        162
      • 6.10.3.7            Comparative Waste Production         163
      • 6.10.3.8            Environmental Impact and Future Directions           163
    • 6.10.4 Sustainability Metrics               164
  • 6.11     Emerging Technologies            164
    • 6.11.1 AI and Machine Learning Applications          164
      • 6.11.1.1            Sorting Optimization 165
      • 6.11.1.2            Process Control           166
      • 6.11.1.3            Quality Prediction       166
      • 6.11.1.4            Maintenance Prediction          166
    • 6.11.2 Robotics in Sorting     167
      • 6.11.2.1            Vision Systems             167
      • 6.11.2.2            Picking Mechanisms 167
      • 6.11.2.3            Control Systems          168
      • 6.11.2.4            Integration Methods  169
    • 6.11.3 Novel Catalyst Development               169
      • 6.11.3.1            Nano-catalysts             169
      • 6.11.3.2            Bio-catalysts  171
      • 6.11.3.3            Hybrid Catalysts          174

 

7             THE PYROLYSIS OIL MARKET               176

  • 7.1        Pyrolysis oil in the plastics and fuels value chain  176
    • 7.1.1    Definitions       176
    • 7.1.2    From waste plastic to synthetic naphtha    176
    • 7.1.3    PPO relative to fossil, bio- and e-naphtha  176
    • 7.1.4    Crude versus upgraded grades          177
  • 7.2        PPO product specification and quality         177
    • 7.2.1    Typical composition, boiling range and distillation profile               177
    • 7.2.2    Contaminants              177
    • 7.2.3    Buyer specification requirements    178
    • 7.2.4    Upgrading and purification routes    178
    • 7.2.5    Emerging quality standards 178
    • 7.2.6    Quality as a barrier to offtake              178
  • 7.3        PPO supply      179
    • 7.3.1    Global PPO production capacity      179
    • 7.3.2    Nameplate versus actual output      179
    • 7.3.3    Announced, under-construction and FID-approved capacity       179
    • 7.3.4    Supply by region          180
    • 7.3.5    Producer landscape and market shares      180
    • 7.3.6    Technology licensors and route to market  181
    • 7.3.7    Feedstock supply        181
    • 7.3.8    Project cancellations, delays and plant closures  181
    • 7.3.9    Supply-side risk assessment              182
    • 7.3.10 Supply-side outlook  182
  • 7.4        PPO demand and customers              182
    • 7.4.1    Who buys pyrolysis oil — buyer typology     182
    • 7.4.2    Petrochemical producers and steam cracker operators   183
    • 7.4.3    Refiners and co-processing in FCC and hydrocrackers     183
    • 7.4.4    Synthetic naphtha and drop-in fuel producers        183
    • 7.4.5    Brand owners and converters as indirect demand drivers               183
    • 7.4.6    Carbon black producers and tyre pyrolysis oil buyers        183
    • 7.4.7    Offtake agreements, supply contracts and joint ventures                183
    • 7.4.8    Buyer qualification processes and purchasing criteria       184
    • 7.4.9    Willingness to pay and the green premium 184
    • 7.4.10 Unmet demand and buyer pipeline 184
    • 7.4.11 Demand-side trends and outlook    184
    • 7.4.12 Regional demand shift            184
  • 7.5        Mass balance, certification and regulation applied to PPO             184
    • 7.5.1    Certification schemes             184
    • 7.5.2    Attribution models     185
    • 7.5.3    The 2025 EU mass balance Implementing Decision applied to PPO         185
    • 7.5.4    Impact on PPO economics and buyer access          185
  • 7.6        PPO pricing     185
    • 7.6.1    Pricing mechanisms and benchmarks         185
    • 7.6.2    Historical price ranges 2020-2025  186
    • 7.6.3    Relationship to fossil naphtha, Brent and virgin polymer prices   186
    • 7.6.4    Published price indices and commodity intelligence          186
    • 7.6.5    Bio-attributed versus polymer-derived premiums 186
  • 7.7        PPO market forecasts 2025-2040   187
    • 7.7.1    Global PPO production volumes 2025-2040            187
    • 7.7.2    PPO demand by end use 2025-2040             188
    • 7.7.3    PPO demand by region 2025-2040 189
    • 7.7.4    Synthetic naphtha output derived from PPO 2025-2040  190
    • 7.7.5    Market value forecast 2025-2040    190
  • 7.8        Competitive and substitution landscape    191
    • 7.8.1    PPO versus bio-naphtha and e-naphtha     191
    • 7.8.2    PPO versus mechanically recycled resin     191
    • 7.8.3    SWOT analysis: PPO as a steam cracker feedstock             191
    • 7.8.4    Barriers to buyer adoption    192
    • 7.8.5    Depolymerisation scale-up as competing capacity             192
  • 7.9        Market developments and investment climate 2024-2026             193
    • 7.9.1    The 2024-2025 demand slowdown 193
    • 7.9.2    The realisation gap     193
    • 7.9.3    Project delays, bankruptcies and closures 193
    • 7.9.4    Consolidation, M&A and vertical integration             193
    • 7.9.5    Investment sentiment and regulatory certainty       193
    • 7.9.6    What the 2025 EU decision changes for the pipeline           193
  • 7.10     Pyrolysis Oil Producer and Buyer Directory                194
    • 7.10.1 PPO producers: capacity, technology, output specification and offtake status 194
    • 7.10.2 PPO buyers: contracted volumes, end use and certification status          195
    • 7.10.3 Producer-buyer contract matrix         195
    • 7.10.4 Synthetic naphtha producers sourcing PPO             195

 

8             MATERIALS ANALYSIS               197

  • 8.1        Plastics              197
    • 8.1.1    Polyethylene (PE)        197
      • 8.1.1.1 HDPE Analysis              197
      • 8.1.1.2 LLDPE Analysis            198
      • 8.1.1.3 Recovery Methods     199
    • 8.1.2    Polypropylene (PP)     200
      • 8.1.2.1 Homopolymer               200
      • 8.1.2.2 Copolymer       201
      • 8.1.2.3 Processing Methods 201
      • 8.1.2.4 Quality Grades              205
    • 8.1.3    Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)     207
      • 8.1.3.1 Bottle Grade   207
      • 8.1.3.2 Fiber Grade     207
      • 8.1.3.3 Film Grade       208
      • 8.1.3.4 Recovery Technologies            208
    • 8.1.4    Polystyrene (PS)           211
      • 8.1.4.1 General Purpose PS   211
      • 8.1.4.2 High Impact PS             211
      • 8.1.4.3 Expanded PS  212
      • 8.1.4.4 Processing Methods 212
    • 8.1.5    Other Plastics               212
      • 8.1.5.1 PVC      212
      • 8.1.5.2 PC         213
      • 8.1.5.3 ABS       213
      • 8.1.5.4 Mixed Plastics               214
  • 8.2        Metals 215
    • 8.2.1    Precious Metals           216
      • 8.2.1.1 Gold     216
      • 8.2.1.2 Silver    217
      • 8.2.1.3 Platinum Group Metals           217
      • 8.2.1.4 Recovery Methods     218
  • 8.3        Base Metals    219
    • 8.3.1    Copper               219
    • 8.3.2    Aluminium       220
    • 8.3.3    Steel     220
    • 8.3.4    Processing Technologies        221
  • 8.4        Rare Earth Elements 224
    • 8.4.1    Light REEs        224
    • 8.4.2    Heavy REEs     224
    • 8.4.3    Extraction Methods   225
  • 8.5        Electronic Waste         227
    • 8.5.1    Circuit Boards               227
      • 8.5.1.1 PCB Types        227
      • 8.5.1.2 Component Separation          228
      • 8.5.1.3 Metal Recovery             228
      • 8.5.1.4 Waste Management  229
    • 8.5.2    Batteries            229
      • 8.5.2.1 Lithium-ion     229
      • 8.5.2.2 Lead-acid         230
      • 8.5.2.3 Nickel-based  230
      • 8.5.2.4 Recovery Processes  232
    • 8.5.3    Displays            235
      • 8.5.3.1 LCD      235
      • 8.5.3.2 LED       235
      • 8.5.3.3 OLED   236
      • 8.5.3.4 Material Recovery       236
    • 8.5.4    Other Components   238
      • 8.5.4.1 Capacitors      238
      • 8.5.4.2 Resistors          238
      • 8.5.4.3 Semiconductors          239
      • 8.5.4.4 Connectors     239
  • 8.6        Textiles               240
    • 8.6.1    Natural Fibers                240
    • 8.6.2    Cotton 240
    • 8.6.3    Wool    241
    • 8.6.4    Silk        241
    • 8.6.5    Processing Methods 243
  • 8.7        Synthetic Fibers           245
    • 8.7.1    Polyester           245
    • 8.7.2    Nylon   245
    • 8.7.3    Acrylic 246
    • 8.7.4    Recovery Technologies            247

 

9             END PRODUCT ANALYSIS      250

  • 9.1        Chemical Feedstocks              250
    • 9.1.1    Monomers       250
    • 9.1.2    Oligomers        254
    • 9.1.3    Specialty Chemicals 256
    • 9.1.4    Pyrolysis oil (PPO) as a chemical feedstock              256
      • 9.1.4.1 Synthetic naphtha      256
      • 9.1.4.2 Synthetic naphtha and drop-in fuel blendstocks   257
  • 9.2        Recycled monomers 257
  • 9.3        Syngas, methanol and hydrogen       257
  • 9.4        Recovered carbon black and waxes                257
  • 9.5        Mass-balance-attributed circular polymers              257
  • 9.6        Fuels    258
    • 9.6.1    Diesel  258
    • 9.6.2    Gasoline           258
    • 9.6.3    Synthetic Gas 259
  • 9.7        Raw Materials                260
    • 9.7.1    Recycled Plastics       260
    • 9.7.2    Recovered Metals       260
    • 9.7.3    Other Materials            261
  • 9.8        Energy Products           261
    • 9.8.1    Electricity          262
    • 9.8.2    Heat     262
    • 9.8.3    Biofuels             263

 

10          COMPANY PROFILES                264 (200 company profiles)

 

11          GLOSSARY OF TERMS             405

 

12          REFERENCES 407

 

 

List of Tables

  • Table 1. Types of recycling.   23
  • Table 2. Selected chemical recycling closures, delays and cancellations, 2024–2026 27
  • Table 3. Key market developments, 2024 to mid-2026       28
  • Table 4. Advanced recycling capacity: listed versus operating      29
  • Table 5. Global plastics production 1950-2025, millions of tonnes.         30
  • Table 6. Issues related to the use of plastics.           31
  • Table 7. Type of biodegradation.       34
  • Table 8. Overview of the recycling technologies.    39
  • Table 9. Polymer types, use, and recovery. 41
  • Table 10. Composition of plastic waste streams.  42
  • Table 11. Comparison of mechanical and advanced chemical recycling.             42
  • Table 12. Life cycle assessment of virgin plastic production, mechanical recycling and chemical recycling.          43
  • Table 13. Life cycle assessment of chemical recycling technologies (pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerization and dissolution). 43
  • Table 14. Market drivers and trends in the advanced chemical recycling market.            46
  • Table 15. Global regulations driving plastics recycling.      47
  • Table 16. Corporate Sustainability Initiatives.          50
  • Table 17. Technological Advancements.      53
  • Table 18. Technical Challenges.        57
  • Table 19. Technological Barriers.      60
  • Table 20. Cost Competitiveness Analysis. 63
  • Table 21. Advanced chemical recycling capacities, by technology.           66
  • Table 22. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PE (million tonnes).             69
  • Table 23. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PP (million tonnes)              70
  • Table 24. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PET (million tonnes)              72
  • Table 25. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PS (million tonnes)              73
  • Table 26. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for Nylon (million tonnes)              74
  • Table 27. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PMMA (million tonnes)              76
  • Table 28. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for Other types (million tonnes)            77
  • Table 29. Global polymer demand in Europe, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).   79
  • Table 30. Global polymer demand in North America, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).             80
  • Table 31. Global polymer demand in South America, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).             81
  • Table 32. Global polymer demand in Asia, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).         83
  • Table 33. Global polymer demand in Oceania, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes). 84
  • Table 34. Global polymer demand in Africa, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).      86
  • Table 35. Example chemically recycled plastic products.                88
  • Table 36. Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of Advanced chemical recycling Processes.   91
  • Table 37. Life cycle assessment of mechanically versus chemically recycling polyethylene (PE).        92
  • Table 38. Life cycle assessment of mechanically versus chemically recycling polypropylene (PP).     92
  • Table 39. Life cycle assessment of mechanically versus chemically recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET).  92
  • Table 40. Plastic yield of each chemical recycling technologies. 93
  • Table 41. Chemically recycled plastics prices in USD.       93
  • Table 42. Plastic waste feedstock availability by region 2025-2040 (million tonnes)     94
  • Table 43. Feedstock streams, pricing basis and direction of travel             95
  • Table 44. Feedstock components and their effect on pyrolysis oil yield and quality       96
  • Table 45. Advanced chemical recycling capacity and market size by technology             97
  • Table 46. Market size by output product       98
  • Table 47. Market size by end-use sector       99
  • Table 48. US state classification of advanced recycling, 2025-2026        102
  • Table 49. Mass balance attribution methods compared   105
  • Table 50. Selected transactions and restructurings 2024-2026  108
  • Table 51. Project delays, bankruptcies and cancellations 2024-2026     108
  • Table 52. Applications of chemically recycled materials. 110
  • Table 53. Summary of non-catalytic pyrolysis technologies.         111
  • Table 54. Summary of catalytic pyrolysis technologies.    112
  • Table 55. Summary of pyrolysis technique under different operating conditions.            116
  • Table 56. Biomass materials and their bio-oil yield.             117
  • Table 57. Biofuel production cost from the biomass pyrolysis process. 117
  • Table 58. Pyrolysis companies and plant capacities, current and planned.         121
  • Table 59. Indicative pyrolysis oil yields by feedstock and reactor type     122
  • Table 60. Summary of gasification technologies.  124
  • Table 61. Total syngas market by product, 2021-2040 (MM Nm³/h of syngas)     124
  • Table 62. Advanced recycling (Gasification) companies. 129
  • Table 63. Summary of dissolution technologies.   130
  • Table 64. Advanced recycling (Dissolution) companies    131
  • Table 65. Depolymerisation processes for PET, PU, PC and PA, products and yields.    133
  • Table 66. Summary of hydrolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers.           133
  • Table 67. Summary of Enzymolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers. 134
  • Table 68. Summary of methanolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers. 135
  • Table 69. Summary of glycolysis technologies-feedstocks, process, outputs, commercial maturity and technology developers.           137
  • Table 70. Summary of aminolysis technologies.    138
  • Table 71. Advanced recycling (Depolymerisation) companies and capacities (current and planned).                138
  • Table 72. Overview of hydrothermal cracking for advanced chemical recycling.              139
  • Table 73. Overview of Pyrolysis with in-line reforming for advanced chemical recycling.            140
  • Table 74. Overview of microwave-assisted pyrolysis for advanced chemical recycling.              141
  • Table 75. Overview of plasma pyrolysis for advanced chemical recycling.           142
  • Table 76. Overview of plasma gasification for advanced chemical recycling.     142
  • Table 77. Summary of carbon fiber (CF) recycling technologies. Advantages and disadvantages.       144
  • Table 78. Retention rate of tensile properties of recovered carbon fibres by different recycling processes.       145
  • Table 79. Recycled carbon fiber producers, technology and capacity.    146
  • Table 80.  Current thermoset recycling routes.        147
  • Table 81. Companies developing advanced thermoset recycing routes.               154
  • Table 82. Comparison of Advanced Chemical Recycling with Traditional Recycling Methods.                155
  • Table 83. Energy Efficiency Comparison: Advanced Chemical Recycling vs. Mechanical Recycling   157
  • Table 84. Quality of Output Comparison.   158
  • Table 85. Cost Analysis of advanced plastic recycling versus traditional recycling methods.  159
  • Table 86. Carbon Footprint Analysis.             160
  • Table 87. Energy Consumption Assessment.           160
  • Table 88. Sustainability Metrics.       164
  • Table 89. AI and Machine Learning Applications.   165
  • Table 90. Types of Nano-catalysts.  170
  • Table 91. Types of bio-catalysts.       172
  • Table 92. PPO, bio-naphtha and e-naphtha compared      176
  • Table 93. PPO buyer typology              182
  • Table 94. Selected PPO offtake agreements 2024-2026   183
  • Table 95. PPO price points by market, Q4 2025 to Q2 2026 (USD/tonne)               187
  • Table 96. PPO demand by end use 2025-2040 (thousand tonnes)             188
  • Table 97. PPO demand by region 2025-2040 (thousand tonnes) 189
  • Table 98. Global PPO market value 2025-2040 (USD million)        190
  • Table 99. SWOT analysis: PPO as a steam cracker feedstock        192
  • Table 100. PPO producers by nameplate pyrolysis capacity           194
  • Table 101. Selected PPO buyers and offtake arrangements           195
  • Table 102. Producer-buyer contract matrix.               195
  • Table 103. Integrated pyrolysis-to-naphtha-to-cracker producers             196
  • Table 104. Advanced polyethylene recovery methods.      199
  • Table 105. Polypropylene processing methods for chemical recycling.  203
  • Table 106. PP Quality Grades from Chemical Recycling.  205
  • Table 107. Advanced PET recovery technologies . 209
  • Table 108. Advanced chemical recycling of metals.            215
  • Table 109. Precious metals recovery methods.      218
  • Table 110. Advanced processing technologies for base metal recycling .             222
  • Table 111. Rare Earth Elements Extraction Methods.         225
  • Table 112. Recovery Processes for Batteries.           232
  • Table 113. Advanced technologies for materials recovery in displays.    236
  • Table 114. Processing Methods for Natural Fiber Recycling.          243
  • Table 115. Recovery Technologies for Synthetic Fibers      247
  • Table 116. Monomers from chemical recycling.     251
  • Table 117. Oligomers from advanced recycling.     255

 

List of Figures

  • Figure 1.  Coca-Cola PlantBottle®.   32
  • Figure 2. Interrelationship between conventional, bio-based and biodegradable plastics.       33
  • Figure 3. Global production, use, and fate of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives. 35
  • Figure 4. The circular plastic economy.        37
  • Figure 5. Current management systems for waste plastics.           38
  • Figure 6. Overview of the different circular pathways for plastics.             39
  • Figure 7. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PE (million tonnes).             70
  • Figure 8. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PP (million tonnes)              71
  • Figure 9. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PET (million tonnes)              73
  • Figure 10. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PS (million tonnes)              74
  • Figure 11. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for Nylon (million tonnes)              76
  • Figure 12. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for PMMA (million tonnes)              77
  • Figure 13. Global polymer demand 2022-2047, segmented by recycling technology for Other types (million tonnes)            79
  • Figure 14. Global polymer demand in Europe, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes). 80
  • Figure 15. Global polymer demand in North America, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).             81
  • Figure 16. Global polymer demand in South America, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).             83
  • Figure 17. Global polymer demand in Asia, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).        84
  • Figure 18. Global polymer demand in Oceania, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).                86
  • Figure 19. Global polymer demand in Africa, by recycling technology 2022-2047 (million tonnes).    87
  • Figure 20. Market map for advanced plastics recycling.    90
  • Figure 21. Value chain for advanced chemical recycling market.                91
  • Figure 22. Plastic waste feedstock availability by region 2025-2040 (million tonnes)    95
  • Figure 23. Advanced chemical recycling capacity by technology. Source: Future Markets, plant-level database.         97
  • Figure 24. Advanced chemical recycling capacity by primary output product.  98
  • Figure 25. Advanced chemical recycling demand by end-use sector.      99
  • Figure 26. Advanced chemical recycling capacity by region. Source: Future Markets, plant-level database.         100
  • Figure 27. EU regulatory timeline for chemically recycled content, 2024-2030. 101
  • Figure 28. US state classification of advanced recycling, 2025.  103
  • Figure 29. Mass balance attribution methods compared: claimable recycled content per 100 tonnes of eligible waste input.  105
  • Figure 30. Schematic layout of a pyrolysis plant.   111
  • Figure 31. Waste plastic production pathways to (A) diesel and (B) gasoline      115
  • Figure 32. Schematic for Pyrolysis of Scrap Tires. 118
  • Figure 33. Used tires conversion process.  119
  • Figure 34. SWOT analysis-pyrolysis for advanced recycling.          120
  • Figure 35. Total syngas market by product, 2021-2040 (MM Nm³/h of syngas)   125
  • Figure 36. Overview of biogas utilization.    126
  • Figure 37. Biogas and biomethane pathways.          127
  • Figure 38. SWOT analysis-gasification for advanced recycling.    129
  • Figure 39. SWOT analysis-dissoluton for advanced recycling.      131
  • Figure 40. Products obtained through the different solvolysis pathways of PET, PU, and PA.    132
  • Figure 41. SWOT analysis-Hydrolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 134
  • Figure 42. SWOT analysis-Enzymolysis for advanced chemical recycling.            135
  • Figure 43. SWOT analysis-Methanolysis for advanced chemical recycling.          136
  • Figure 44. SWOT analysis-Glycolysis for advanced chemical recycling. 137
  • Figure 45. SWOT analysis-Aminolysis for advanced chemical recycling.               138
  • Figure 46. Pyrolysis capacity by stated operation-start year: operating base against announced additions.        179
  • Figure 47. PPO supply by region.       180
  • Figure 48. Leading PPO producers by nameplate pyrolysis capacity.       181
  • Figure 49. PPO price positioning against fossil naphtha and certified bio-naphtha, 2026.        186
  • Figure 50. PPO market trajectory to 2040: demand baseline against nameplate and realisation-adjusted supply (indexed, 2025 = 100).             188
  • Figure 51. PPO demand by end use 2025-2040.    189
  • Figure 52. PPO demand by region 2025-2040.        190
  • Figure 53. Global PPO market value 2025-2040.   191
  • Figure 54. Alterra’s Akron Plant in Ohio.       268
  • Figure 55. ChemCyclingTM prototypes.       275
  • Figure 56. ChemCycling circle by BASF.       275
  • Figure 57. Recycled carbon fibers obtained through the R3FIBER process.         276
  • Figure 58. Cassandra Oil  process.  287
  • Figure 59. CuRe Technology process.            294
  • Figure 60. MoReTec.   335
  • Figure 61. Chemical decomposition process of polyurethane foam.       339
  • Figure 62. OMV ReOil process.           349
  • Figure 63. Schematic Process of Plastic Energy’s TAC Chemical Recycling.        355
  • Figure 64. Easy-tear film material from recycled material.              373
  • Figure 65. Polyester fabric made from recycled monomers.          377
  • Figure 66. A sheet of acrylic resin made from conventional, fossil resource-derived MMA monomer (left) and a sheet of acrylic resin made from chemically recycled MMA monomer (right).     388
  • Figure 67. Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd. Depolymerisation process.      393
  • Figure 68. The Velocys process.        400
  • Figure 69. The Proesa® Process.        401
  • Figure 70. Worn Again products.       403

 

 

The Global Advanced Chemical Recycling Market 2027-2040
The Global Advanced Chemical Recycling Market 2027-2040
PDF + Excel Database.
Price: £1,100.00

The Global Advanced Chemical Recycling Market 2027-2040
The Global Advanced Chemical Recycling Market 2027-2040
PDF + Excel Database + Print Edition (including tracked delivery).
Price: £1,200.00

 

Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Bank Transfer. To order by Bank Transfer (Invoice) select this option from the payment methods menu after adding to cart, or contact info@futuremarketsinc.com

Related Posts