Through chemical recycling waste products may be turned back into natural resources by physically breaking down plastic into the smaller molecules it was originally produced from. In this sense it ist at the core of a circular economy since from there new products made from recycled plastic can be produced. In their new research Professor Fengqi You and doctoral student Xiang Zhao detail a framework incorporating several mathematical models and methodologies that factor everything from chemical recycling equipment, processes and energy sources, to environmental effects and the market for end products.
