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CIRCPVC Developing the circularity of PVC construction waste through a dissolution technology

Project

Plastic waste, such as PVC, is often disposed of through incineration or landfill, even though it could be recycled for new uses. CIRC-PVC is developing a recycling technology for flexible PVCs and a sorting method to improve plastic waste management, particularly in the construction sector.

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About

Currently, the majority of plastic waste generated on construction, demolition, and renovation sites is not sorted and ends up being incinerated or sent to landfill.

Regarding PVC waste, several factors contribute to this issue:

  • The lack of complementary recycling technologies to mechanical recycling, which alone is insufficient to process all types of PVC. Mechanical recycling does not allow for the extraction of additives used in the production of PVC products (some of which are up to 50 years old) that have since been banned. It also does not enable the recycling of composite structures into the same application, but only into lower-value applications.

  • The relatively low cost of incineration and landfill disposal options.

  • The lack of traceability.

The evolution of the European legislative framework aims to impose the integration of recycled content in new products, replace fossil-based resources with recycled materials, and gradually phase out landfills. This will increase the costs of current solutions (incineration, landfill) and make sorting mandatory to facilitate recycling. These changes will significantly impact Walloon companies involved in the plastic waste treatment value chain for the construction industry.

The main objectives of the project are:

  • To develop a new PVC waste recycling technology that enables the separation of composite structures and the extraction of banned additives, allowing PVC to be recycled into the same application. The project includes the construction of a prototype, a necessary first step in validating the technology, before setting up a demonstration unit (not included in this project), which is the final step before establishing an industrial unit. The ultimate goal is to have this unit (20 to 40 kt/year) operational by 2030 at the IMB site in Jemeppe-sur-Sambre.

  • To study PVC waste streams (quality, quantities) from demolition, renovation, and construction activities to ensure a reliable supply of raw materials for the industrial recycling unit.

  • To sort PVC applications within a mixed PVC waste stream and then refine the sorting based on the presence or absence of banned additives.

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