Chemical Recycling and Energy Recovery from Plastics and Other Polymers in Africa

Abstract

Previous chapters of this book have discussed the origins of plastic in Africa, plastic production in Africa, and the mechanical recycling of plastics within the continent. From the discussion so far, we see that, despite some countries implementing bans and other measures to reduce plastic waste accumulation, there is still an increasing trend in plastic production in Africa and across the world. This chapter reviews chemical plastic recycling in Africa. The first few sections discuss chemical recycling and energy recovery technologies. The later part of the chapter discusses some of the chemical recycling and energy recovery projects in some countries across Africa. In doing so, it gives the reader an idea of the current status and future potential of chemical recycling and energy recovery in terms of the available resource and potential output and impact within the African continent. The polymer wastes considered here are largely plastic from municipal solid waste. That is waste generated from the daily activities of homes, businesses, and other commercial activities. It excludes the plastics scraps from the manufacturing of plastics, and the conversion or processing of plastics during the manufacturing of plastic products. A section considered the anaerobic digestion of waste from livestock processing which comprises mainly proteins and lipids.KeywordsChemical recyclingPyrolysisGasificationEnergy recoveryPolycondensationDepolymerization