Circular chemistry links process technology with economic models

The chemical industry supplies materials used across most manufacturing sectors, but increasing regulatory requirements, variable feedstock costs and decarbonisation targets are creating technical and economic challenges for producers. Automa Chem 2026, held on 26–27 October in Berlin, addresses these issues through a technical roundtable on bio-based and circular value chains.

The session focuses on technologies and process models that can connect circularity targets with production economics. This includes chemical recycling, depolymerisation, contaminated plastic waste treatment and wastewater pH control.

Technology and process engineering roles
Hendrik Rasch, Vice President – Circular Packaging & Plastics Recycling at Evonik, will discuss chemical recycling technologies and the use of Purocel adsorbents. The focus is on processes for treating materials within circular plastics and packaging applications.

Andree Blesgen, Head of Technology Platform Depolymerization Technologies at Evonik, will address depolymerisation processes for polyurethane waste. These technologies break polymer structures into chemical components that can potentially be used as feedstock for further processing.

Miguel Perdigão Silva, Senior Process Engineer at Worley, will examine techno-economic modelling. Such models can evaluate production costs, process requirements and market conditions when recycled feedstocks have properties that differ from virgin materials.

Feedstock upgrading and wastewater treatment
Séval Schichtel, Global Business Development & Sales Manager at Clariant, will present adsorbent and catalyst technologies used to upgrade contaminated plastic waste. The discussion includes Clarit Pyrolyse, Clarit Protect and HDMax technologies and their role in producing feedstocks with properties closer to virgin materials.

Rudy Lamond, Growth & Innovation Leader Water Treatment at Air Liquide, will examine the use of carbon dioxide as an alternative to mineral acids for pH control in wastewater treatment. Carbon dioxide-based pH adjustment can provide a process route for controlling wastewater chemistry while reducing reliance on conventional acid dosing.

Industrial implementation
The cooperation between specialists from chemical production, engineering, process technology and water treatment reflects the cross-disciplinary requirements of circular chemical production. Successful implementation depends not only on individual technologies, but also on process integration, feedstock quality, operating costs and compatibility with existing infrastructure.

The roundtable therefore places technical deployment and economic modelling alongside regulatory requirements, providing a framework for evaluating circular technologies according to their process and commercial implications.

Edited by Sucithra Mani, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

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