The General Assembly of Chemical Recycling Europe (CRE) has re-elected Carlos Monreal, the founder & CEO of Plastic Energy, as its President for the next two years.
He will continue the work that has been done this year already within CRE, and intensify the collaboration amongst members through the three working groups, dedicated to communications, policy and technology. Monreal will also lead the association to ramp up efforts to engage key external stakeholders and decision-makers.
Monreal said after his reelection that the next two years will be critical for the chemical recycling industry. “I look forward to working with our members with a diverse range of chemical recycling technologies to contribute to a circular economy for Europe,” he said.
During the General Assembly, additional elections took place. Jasper Munier, of Clariter was voted in as treasurer and Kate Ringier, of Agilyx was confirmed as a new board member.
Chemical recycling, a very brief reminder
Chemical recycling is a process in which chemical reactions allow waste materials to be broken down into their constituent parts, creating new feedstock that can be used to produce new chemicals and plastics. Several different technologies are used in chemical recycling, including pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal treatment.
Pyrolysis involves heating waste materials in the absence of oxygen to break them down into their chemical components. This produces a mixture of gases and liquids that can be further processed to recover valuable materials.
Gasification is similar to pyrolysis, but it uses oxygen or steam to convert the waste materials into a mixture of gases. These gases can be cleaned and used as a fuel source or converted into other chemicals.
Hydrothermal treatment uses high-pressure steam to break down waste materials into their individual components. This process is suitable for treating organic waste materials, such as food waste or plant matter.
Overall, chemical recycling can be a useful way to recover valuable materials from waste and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
One of the goals towards which CRE is working is for chemical recycling to be formally acknowledged and recognised by the EU as a recycling technology. The current lack of formal recognition continues to impact investment decisions and, to a certain extent, inhibit the further development of a technology that can complement mechanical recycling, thus contributing to achieving Europe’s recycling goals.