CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATION OF POST-CONSUMER POLYMERIC WASTE INTO AUTOMOTIVE-GRADE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS

AUTHOR – MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH ASHIF* & DR.ARVIND KUMAR SINGH**

* STUDENT AT AMITY LAW SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY LUCKNOW

** PROFESSOR AT AMITY LAW SCHOOL, AMITY UNIVERSITY LUCKNOW

BEST CITATION – MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH ASHIF & DR.ARVIND KUMAR SINGH, CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATION OF POST-CONSUMER POLYMERIC WASTE INTO AUTOMOTIVE-GRADE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (5) OF 2026, PG. 20-27, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

Introduction

The global accumulation of plastic waste has reached an unprecedented scale. As of 2025, approximately 130 million metric tons of plastic enter the environment annually, with projections suggesting this figure could escalate to 280 million metric tons by 2040 without aggressive global intervention. The historical reliance on mechanical recycling has proven insufficient for managing post-consumer waste, which often involves multilayer packaging and contaminated materials fundamentally unsuitable for traditional processing.

In response, chemical recycling—particularly the thermochemical conversion of plastics into liquid hydrocarbons—has emerged as a critical “molecular loop” strategy. This process involves the controlled degradation of polymer backbones into a state analogous to the crude oil from which they were originally derived, enabling regeneration of high-value fuels and petrochemical feedstocks, while diverting plastic from landfills and incinerators.