Against the backdrop of an increasingly severe global plastic pollution crisis, the sustainable treatment of waste plastics has become a critical issue for environmental protection and resource circularity. Traditional methods such as landfilling and incineration not only lead to land resource wastage and greenhouse gas emissions but also represent a significant waste of petroleum-based raw materials—after all, plastics themselves are products of the petrochemical industry.

In this context, waste plastic pyrolysis oil technology has emerged as one of the most promising green recycling solutions.

I. Principles of Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Technology  

This technology involves heating plastics in a sealed, oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment to break down their high-molecular polymers into low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, yielding fuel oil, solid fuel, and combustible gas. The core of the process lies in converting plastics—a “final product” of the petrochemical industry—back into “initial raw materials” through thermochemical means, achieving resource utilization via “plastic-to-oil” conversion. Compared to simple mechanical recycling, pyrolysis can process mixed, low-value waste plastics while yielding higher-value outputs. In contrast to incineration and landfilling, it significantly reduces environmental pollution and carbon emissions, aligning with the principles of green chemistry.

II. Environmental and Economic Advantages of Plastic Pyrolysis  

Amid global advocacy for a circular economy and carbon emission reduction, plastic pyrolysis demonstrates remarkable environmental friendliness and economic viability, positioning it as a strong alternative to traditional plastic treatment methods. Unlike landfilling or incineration, pyrolysis transforms waste plastics from a “management burden” into a “resource reservoir,” with its multifaceted advantages driving rapid global adoption.

– Significant Environmental Benefits:

Pyrolysis avoids the drawbacks of landfilling and incineration. Traditional landfilling consumes vast land resources, while plastic additives and unreacted monomers may leach into groundwater systems. Plastics also require centuries to degrade naturally. Although incineration reduces volume and recovers some energy, chlorine-containing plastics (e.g., PVC) risk generating highly toxic dioxins, with costly purification processes and secondary pollution risks.

– High Resource Circulation Efficiency:

As petroleum-derived products, plastics achieve over 80% atomic utilization through pyrolysis—far exceeding the 20–30% energy recovery rate of incineration. Pyrolysis oil, the primary output, can be used directly as fuel or serve as a petrochemical feedstock for new plastics, enabling a “plastic-to-plastic” closed loop and reducing reliance on virgin petroleum resources.

– Outstanding Economic Performance:

Commercial operations of pyrolysis technology have confirmed its financial feasibility. Revenue primarily comes from pyrolysis oil sales and government subsidies for plastic waste treatment. Compared to catalytic pyrolysis and catalytic upgrading technologies, pure pyrolysis offers simpler processes, lower equipment costs, and no need for catalysts, resulting in the lowest per-unit oil production cost. The technology excels in handling mixed waste plastics—such as films and composite packaging—that are unsuitable for mechanical recycling, truly achieving “converting low-grade inputs into high-value outputs.”

III. Niutech’s Global Implementation of Pyrolysis Technology  

In the global waste plastic pyrolysis sector, Chinese companies have evolved from followers to leaders, with equipment manufacturer Niutech standing out prominently. As a high-tech enterprise dedicated to R&D and manufacturing of pyrolysis technology for organic waste, Niutech has developed large-scale intelligent pyrolysis equipment with independent intellectual property rights, enabling continuous plastic pyrolysis and successfully entering high-end markets in Europe and America—exemplifying the global reach of Chinese environmental technology.

Niutech’s contract with Norway’s Quantafuel for four waste plastic pyrolysis production lines, deployed in a Danish plastic waste treatment plant, became a benchmark for chemical recycling in Europe. The project received strategic investment and recognition from chemical giant BASF, which uses the pyrolysis oil as feedstock for its “chemical recycling” initiative to produce carbon-neutral high-end plastic products. In 2025, Hyundai Group’s Southeast Asian waste plastic pyrolysis project fully adopted Niutech’s technology and commenced operations, supplying pyrolysis oil to South Korean chemical plants and achieving cross-border industrial integration. These international cases validate the adaptability and reliability of Niutech’s technology across diverse regional environments.

Niutech’s success illustrates the high-end transformation of China’s environmental equipment manufacturing sector and the replicability of its green waste recycling solutions. By focusing on pyrolysis technology and driving innovation, Niutech has built a proprietary intellectual property system and gained global client trust through successful international projects. Particularly in processing complex materials like mixed plastics and contaminated waste, Niutech’s technology demonstrates significant advantages—delivering economic benefits while contributing Chinese expertise and solutions to global plastic pollution governance.