Dow Makes Energy from Recycled Plastic
May 23 2011 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it has
successfully demonstrated the use of recycled plastic to generate
energy. The successful pilot test measured how plastic that has
been reused and recycled to the full extent possible can be used as
fuel for an ultimate end-of-life option instead of going to a
landfill for disposal.
The pilot test found that 96 percent of available energy was
recovered after incinerating 578 pounds of used plastic in a kiln
at one of Dow’s waste treatment facilities. The energy recovered
was equivalent to 11.1 million Btu’s of natural gas and was used as
fuel for Dow’s incinerator during the test. The trial was completed
in compliance with regulatory permits.
Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) scrap film generated in
one of Dow’s extrusion laboratories was used in the test. The film
was the same type commonly used for packaging food and consumer
products. The test took place at Dow’s second-largest U.S.
manufacturing location in Midland, Mich.
“The purpose of the test was to collect data showing that used
plastic can provide a valuable source of energy and ultimately help
reduce our need for natural gas or other fossil fuels,” said Jeff
Wooster, Plastics Sustainability Leader for Dow’s North American
Plastics business. “The study results demonstrate that almost all
of the available energy stored in used plastic can be captured and
reused as opposed to being buried in a landfill.”
While most thermoplastics can be reprocessed, there currently
are limited end-of-life options for certain types of used plastic
packaging, such as some flexible films and containers made from a
combination of materials.
“Energy recovery and chemical transformation do not replace the
traditional means of recycling plastics – they extend and
complement it,” Wooster explained. "The U.S. lags behind many other
countries that capture trapped energy from recovered materials.
Recovering embedded energy in recycled plastic is a ‘best-in-class’
approach used in Europe and other regions. Our next step is to help
find a way to scale up this more sustainable practice in the United
States.”
The sustainability advantages of energy recovery include
utilizing natural gas or oil first to make plastics, which can then
be used, reused, recycled and recovered at end-of-life, capturing
the energy content of the original feedstock. Energy recovery
allows more utility captured from every natural gas or oil
molecule.
“Energy recovery is a clean, reliable, renewable source of
energy having less environmental impact than many other sources of
energy,” Wooster explained. “We look at this endeavor as another
way in which Dow can deliver on its core value of protecting the
planet – by harnessing its innovation engine to help customers,
communities and society while encouraging others to do the
same.”
The recycle-to-energy recovery trial provided the concept
validation for the submission and approval of one of several energy
efficiency projects recently chosen to receive funding through
Dow’s Energy Intensity Improvement Fund. The $100 million
investment fund targets Dow projects designed to help reduce energy
usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Dow is committed to working with value chain partners, industry
associations and others in the field to increase the availability
and viability of end-of-life options including mechanical
recycling, chemical transformation and energy recovery. These
efforts are another step Dow is taking toward achieving its
long-term vision of recycling 100 percent of used packaging.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology
with the "Human Element" to passionately innovate what is essential
to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation
with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the
world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water,
renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing
agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading
portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences
and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based
products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries
and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy,
coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7
billion and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The
Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in
35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company"
mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries
unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be
found at www.dow.com.
®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company
(“DOW”) or an affiliated company of Dow.
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