Issued by 2027 Magazine

Supercritical CO₂ decontamination unlocks new opportunities for recycled plastics

Innovation

Authors: Géraldine Cabrera¹, Project Manager, Materials & Recycling, IPC
Jérémy Peyroux, Packaging Laboratory Project Manager, IPC
Skander Mani, Head of the Recycling R&D Programme, IPC

As part of its range of expertise in plastics materials and processes, IPC² is working on the decontamination of recycled materials. Their researchers explain the mechanism behind purification using supercritical CO₂ and its development on a pre-industrial scale.

The challenge of decontaminating recycled plastics

Plastics contamination remains one of the main obstacles to obtaining high-quality recycled materials, as packaging and products that come into contact with food, hydrocarbons or organic substances absorb compounds that penetrate deep into the polymer matrix and are resistant to conventional washing methods. In this context, supercritical carbon dioxide (supercritical CO₂) extraction is emerging as an advanced purification technology that complements mechanical recycling. Unlike chemical recycling, which breaks down the polymer into monomers, this approach preserves the material while improving its purity. As well, it is particularly suitable for polyolefins (polyethylene, polypropylene) widely used in packaging and plasticulture.

This technology can help meet the requirements of European Regulations (EU) 2022/1616 and (EU) No 10/2011 governing the production of recycled materials suitable for food contact, thereby paving the way for closed-loop recycling systems [4]. Its application to post-consumer polymers forms part of the development of new technologies and requires the gradual generation of data demonstrating control over inputs, the efficacy and reproducibility of decontamination, the monitoring of critical parameters, and the safety of the resulting materials. This requirement is less of an obstacle than a guiding framework for research and industrialisation.

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