BASF: Mix of technologies required to recycle engineering plastics
- BASF started its first commercial loopamid® polyamide 6 textile-to-textile recycling plant at its Caojing site in Shanghai in early 2025.
- Mechanical, solvent-based, depolymerization and thermochemical methods (pyrolysis, gasification) are presented as complementary routes depending on waste composition.
- Pyrolysis yields pyrolysis oil and gasification produces syngas as chemical feedstocks from very heterogeneous waste streams, but both are energy intensive.
- Scaling these technologies requires scalable sorting systems and clear, reliable regulatory frameworks to make large investments viable.
Challenge and approach
Engineering plastics used in demanding applications (compounded polyolefins, polyurethanes, polyamides) need recycling technologies adapted to their specific properties. BASF researchers argue there is "not one single standard technology for recycling engineering plastics" and advocate an "intelligent mix of various complementary technologies" combined with scalable sorting to achieve closed loops and high‑quality recycled materials.
Recycling technologies
Mechanical recycling—sorting, crushing and melting—is energy efficient but requires clean, homogenous streams and has limits for technically demanding applications. Solvent‑based recycling can selectively dissolve and recover more complex polymers such as polyamides from scrap vehicles. Depolymerization breaks plastics to monomers; BASF's loopamid® enables textile‑to‑textile recycling of polyamide 6 and entered commercial production at Caojing, Shanghai in early 2025. Thermochemical routes (pyrolysis, gasification) handle very heterogeneous streams, producing pyrolysis oil or syngas as feedstocks, though they are energy intensive.
Scale-up and policy
BASF pilot projects show technical feasibility for recycling polyurethanes and polyamides back to virgin‑quality feedstock, but widescale deployment needs two conditions: effective waste management keeping plastics in the loop and clear, reliable regulatory frameworks to support investment. Recycling is presented as a pillar of resource conservation that reduces dependence on fossil raw materials and can support industrial innovation in Europe when policy is predictable.
Source: BASF
