Plastic pyrolysis is facing a reality check. Several U.S. plants have shut down or gone bankrupt as operators struggle with contaminated feedstock, low utilization rates and off-spec pyrolysis oil. Brightmark’s Indiana plant reportedly ran at just 5% of capacity before bankruptcy. Despite industry optimism, analysts warn that technical complexity and poor economics continue to undermine chemical recycling’s promise at scale.
Personal Remarks
EU circularity policy increasingly depends on chemical recycling and plastic pyrolysis delivering at industrial scale. If those technologies continue to struggle technically and economically, the entire circularity strategy risks being built on unstable foundations. In that sense, EU circularity policy looks increasingly like an accident waiting to happen.