Growing awareness of and concerns about the impact of waste on our environment, along with corporate directives to improve sustainability, are driving numerous initiatives that focus on recycling and other technologies for reducing waste. Many companies in the chemical process industries (CPI) have made commitments to develop more sustainable practices and are reporting on their progress.
Reducing plastic waste
Plastic waste has garnered particular attention and commitments from CPI companies, including the ambitious goal of eliminating plastic waste*. Mentioned here are some recent developments, several of which were announced at last month’s show for plastics and rubbers, K 2019 (Düsseldorf, Germany; October 16 to 23), where reducing plastic waste was a major topic.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (www.mitsuichem.com) is collaborating with Kaisei Inc. to commercialize bio-polypropylene. The method being investigated would ferment mainly non-edible biomass to produce isopropanol, which would be dehydrated to obtain propylene.
BASF (www.basf.com) is investing €20 million in Quantafuel, a specialist in the pyrolysis of mixed plastic waste and purification of pyrolysis oil. The intention is to develop technology for chemical recycling and use the recycled product as feedstock in chemical production. BASF’s ChemCycling project aims to process recycled raw materials obtained from plastic waste. Prototypes based on chemically recycled plastic waste, including food packaging, have already been made.
SABIC (www.sabic.com) highlighted several of its sustainable technologies at K 2019, including its “certified circular polymers” that are created from chemically recycled mixed plastic waste. The company’s Trucircle initiative includes certified renewable polyethylene and polypropylene, and polymer resins created from mechanically recycled polymers.
Clariant (www.clariant.com) introduced its EcoCircle Centers of Excellence, for collaborative research and joint development of products for a circular plastics economy. Projects on mechanical recycling of packaging materials are said to be underway. Future facilities will include a mini recycling plant for polyolefins and supporting laboratory capabilities.
Baerlocher (www.baerlocher.com), a supplier of plastic additives, offers a proprietary Resin Stabilization Technology (RST) that aims to improve quality and consistency issues that result from using recycled plastics. The company reports that its RST stabilizers enable manufacturers to increase the use of recycled plastic waste in their products.
Beyond plastics
Waste reduction technologies are being developed for much more than plastics. One example is a recent announcement by AkzoNobel (www.akzonobel.com), that it is the first major manufacturer to launch recycled paints. In partnership with Veolia, AkzoNobel is creating a product called Evolve Matt, which is part of its Dulux Trade brand, that contains 35% recycled paint.
The initiatives mentioned here represent only a fraction of the work being pursued on sustainability within the CPI. Further developments in technologies for sustainability can be found in this issue — in the Newsfronts on supply chains (pp. 12–14), and on water treatment (pp. 16–20), as well as in our Chementator department (pp. 5–9).
November 9-11, 2026Irving Convention Center | Dallas, TX
Explore this topic and more — live at Clean Americas. Join environmental, health, safety, and emergency response professionals tackling the industry's most urgent hazards. View Conference Program →
When a major incident strikes, the people stepping into Incident Command aren't always the ones who trained for it. Engineers, operators, trades supervisors, and compliance specialists may suddenly find themselves filling Command and General Staff roles — not because they volunteered, but because the situation demands it. Panelists will share practical strategies for leading without positional authority, tools and frameworks that help personnel rapidly orient to ICS roles, and approaches for closing the gap between day-to-day job functions and emergency command readiness before the next incident makes it urgent.
Speaking
Scott Andrews (Trans Mountain Canada Inc., Manager Emergency Management)
Kelly Codlin , MSPH, CIH (Marathon Petroleum Company, Emergency Preparedness Director)
Nick Hickson (Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), Hazmat Training Manager)
Josh Dubach MSc, CEM (Onterris, Senior Response Management Consultant)
This session will examine produced water as the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry and one of its most pressing emerging challenges. It will address the growing volumes of produced water, the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny of constituents such as PFAS, salts, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), and the operational implications for management, treatment, reuse, and disposal. The discussion will also explore how operators, regulators, and communities are redefining approaches to produced water management in response to environmental, technical, and stakeholder pressures.
Speaking
Steve Pepper, Ph.D., (Onterris, Director of Response Management)
Charles Maguire (Railroad Commission of Texas, Advisor, Oil and Gas Division)
Prof. Shane Walker Ph.D. (Texas Produced Water Consortium, Director)
Ray Cheatham (Onterris, Energy Sector Leader)
This session will present a detailed case study of a large-scale lithium-ion battery fire response that extended over 12 months. Attendees will explore the hazards associated with thermal runaway events, the operational challenges of suppressing lithium battery fires, and the response strategies that proved effective in this prolonged incident. The
Drawing on insights from U.S. EPA Region 9 wildfire response efforts, the session will also highlight tactics such as hazard characterization, air monitoring and evaluation, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the complexities involved in large-scale battery fire incidents and the critical factors to consider when planning and executing an effective response.
Speaking
Robert W. May PG (Clean Harbors, Senior Vice President, Branch Services and Sales)
Crosley Welch (Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State On-Scene Coordinator)
Samuel Cheek , CSP, RRPT (U.S. EPA, Region 6, Federal On-Scene Coordinator)
Christopher Myers (U.S. EPA, Region 9, Federal On-Scene Coordinator)
This session introduces use of remote sensing technologies to detect, characterize and monitor spills across marine and coastal environments. Discussion will highlight how tools can integrate into modern spill response workflows to improve safety and support data-driven decision making.
Speaking
James Hanzalik (Clean Gulf Associates, Vice-President)
Gordon Staples (MDA Space Ltd., Senior Radar Applications Scientist)
Grant Coolbaugh (Applied Research Associates / Ohmsett, Mechanical Engineer)
Speaking
Allyson Purcell MEP, CEM (ConocoPhillips, CMER Director)
Michael Delio (Maxum Petroleum, EHS & SECURITY MGR)
This session provides a practical, ground‑level introduction to the essential steps required after a battery undergoes a thermal event. We’ll break down how to assess site conditions, stabilize and prepare damaged cells or packs, select appropriate containment and packaging methods, and navigate the regulatory landscape that governs transport and disposal. The lecture emphasizes real‑world decision‑making, safety considerations, and compliance requirements, giving participants a clear framework they can apply immediately in field operations or emergency response planning.
Speaking
Mark Steadman (The Battery Network, Program Manager)
Environment, Health, Safety & Security
Minimizing waste takes center stage
| By Dorothy Lozowski
Growing awareness of and concerns about the impact of waste on our environment, along with corporate directives to improve sustainability, are driving numerous initiatives that focus on recycling and other technologies for reducing waste. Many companies in the chemical process industries (CPI) have made commitments to develop more sustainable practices and are reporting on their progress.
Reducing plastic waste
Plastic waste has garnered particular attention and commitments from CPI companies, including the ambitious goal of eliminating plastic waste*. Mentioned here are some recent developments, several of which were announced at last month’s show for plastics and rubbers, K 2019 (Düsseldorf, Germany; October 16 to 23), where reducing plastic waste was a major topic.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (www.mitsuichem.com) is collaborating with Kaisei Inc. to commercialize bio-polypropylene. The method being investigated would ferment mainly non-edible biomass to produce isopropanol, which would be dehydrated to obtain propylene.
BASF (www.basf.com) is investing €20 million in Quantafuel, a specialist in the pyrolysis of mixed plastic waste and purification of pyrolysis oil. The intention is to develop technology for chemical recycling and use the recycled product as feedstock in chemical production. BASF’s ChemCycling project aims to process recycled raw materials obtained from plastic waste. Prototypes based on chemically recycled plastic waste, including food packaging, have already been made.
SABIC (www.sabic.com) highlighted several of its sustainable technologies at K 2019, including its “certified circular polymers” that are created from chemically recycled mixed plastic waste. The company’s Trucircle initiative includes certified renewable polyethylene and polypropylene, and polymer resins created from mechanically recycled polymers.
Clariant (www.clariant.com) introduced its EcoCircle Centers of Excellence, for collaborative research and joint development of products for a circular plastics economy. Projects on mechanical recycling of packaging materials are said to be underway. Future facilities will include a mini recycling plant for polyolefins and supporting laboratory capabilities.
Baerlocher (www.baerlocher.com), a supplier of plastic additives, offers a proprietary Resin Stabilization Technology (RST) that aims to improve quality and consistency issues that result from using recycled plastics. The company reports that its RST stabilizers enable manufacturers to increase the use of recycled plastic waste in their products.
Beyond plastics
Waste reduction technologies are being developed for much more than plastics. One example is a recent announcement by AkzoNobel (www.akzonobel.com), that it is the first major manufacturer to launch recycled paints. In partnership with Veolia, AkzoNobel is creating a product called Evolve Matt, which is part of its Dulux Trade brand, that contains 35% recycled paint.
The initiatives mentioned here represent only a fraction of the work being pursued on sustainability within the CPI. Further developments in technologies for sustainability can be found in this issue — in the Newsfronts on supply chains (pp. 12–14), and on water treatment (pp. 16–20), as well as in our Chementator department (pp. 5–9).
* www.chemengonline.com/ending-plastic-waste/
Featured Conference
When a major incident strikes, the people stepping into Incident Command aren't always the ones who trained for it. Engineers, operators, trades supervisors, and compliance specialists may suddenly find themselves filling Command and General Staff roles — not because they volunteered, but because the situation demands it. Panelists will share practical strategies for leading without positional authority, tools and frameworks that help personnel rapidly orient to ICS roles, and approaches for closing the gap between day-to-day job functions and emergency command readiness before the next incident makes it urgent.
This session will examine produced water as the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry and one of its most pressing emerging challenges. It will address the growing volumes of produced water, the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny of constituents such as PFAS, salts, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), and the operational implications for management, treatment, reuse, and disposal. The discussion will also explore how operators, regulators, and communities are redefining approaches to produced water management in response to environmental, technical, and stakeholder pressures.
This session will present a detailed case study of a large-scale lithium-ion battery fire response that extended over 12 months. Attendees will explore the hazards associated with thermal runaway events, the operational challenges of suppressing lithium battery fires, and the response strategies that proved effective in this prolonged incident. The
Drawing on insights from U.S. EPA Region 9 wildfire response efforts, the session will also highlight tactics such as hazard characterization, air monitoring and evaluation, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the complexities involved in large-scale battery fire incidents and the critical factors to consider when planning and executing an effective response.
This session introduces use of remote sensing technologies to detect, characterize and monitor spills across marine and coastal environments. Discussion will highlight how tools can integrate into modern spill response workflows to improve safety and support data-driven decision making.
This session provides a practical, ground‑level introduction to the essential steps required after a battery undergoes a thermal event. We’ll break down how to assess site conditions, stabilize and prepare damaged cells or packs, select appropriate containment and packaging methods, and navigate the regulatory landscape that governs transport and disposal. The lecture emphasizes real‑world decision‑making, safety considerations, and compliance requirements, giving participants a clear framework they can apply immediately in field operations or emergency response planning.