As described in the End-of-Phase report, feedstock quality was an issue that emerged following the two pilot studies conducted by the Plastic REVolution Foundation (PRF). The results from the pilots show that certain contaminants need to be removed to meet the PtL feedstock quality requirements. While pyrolysis as a technological solution has a higher tolerance for feedstock of varying composition and quality than mechanical recycling, there are still clear requirements that must be met in the face of large-scale collection from a variety of sources.
With the financial support of the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, PRF and its partner consultancy Norwaste have been investigating the issue of feedstock quality during the second half of 2020, with findings summarized in this report.
The report dives into the importance of feedstock quality in the context of pyrolysis, and details on the work done on feedstock quality and challenges met in Accra. It further assesses available approaches to improving plastics quality from a general perspective, including improved sorting procedures, and setting clear and realistic expectations at defined interfaces throughout the value chain. Finally, a solution adapted to the Accra project based on the theoretical assessment is proposed.
Read the full report on pyrolysis and feedstock quality here.