green technology for processing residual waste streams into electricity, oil or hydrogen

What Is Chemical Recycling?

Chemical recycling is an advanced recycling method that breaks down waste materials into their original chemical building blocks. Chemical Recycling is a class C3 technology in accordance with the EU waste legislation and, unlike incineration, subject to EU subsidies and support.

Unlike mechanical recycling—where plastics are simply shredded and recovered—chemical recycling converts complex or contaminated waste streams into high-value raw materials that can be used again in new products.

This makes it possible to recycle waste that would normally be landfilled, incinerated, or exported.

Some examples of materials that can be processed via Chemical Recycling are:

• RDF (residue from mechanical sorting)
• SRF
• Landfill waste
• Waste plastics
• Medical waste

How Chemical Recycling Works

Chemical recycling uses controlled thermal and chemical processes to transform waste into useful resources. At SophSys, we integrate several proven technologies to process a wide variety of materials, including plastics, RDF, SRF, biomass, medical waste and mixed waste streams.

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis breaks down plastics and organic materials by heating them without oxygen.
This produces:

• Pyrolysis oil (made from waste plastics and is a feedstock for new plastics, fuels, or chemicals)
• Syngas (usable as energy to produce electricity or hydrogen)
• Char (a solid carbon fraction when plastics are processed and regular char that can be used as filler in cement)

Pyrolysis is ideal for mixed or contaminated plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled.

Gasification

Gasification converts carbon-rich waste into a clean, energy-rich syngas by heating it in a controlled, low-oxygen environment.
Syngas can be used for:

• Power and heat generation
• Production of green hydrogen
• Conversion into chemicals or synthetic fuels

Gasification enables the recovery of value from biomass, municipal waste (RDF and landfill), and industrial residues.

Carbonization

Carbonization processes—such as torrefaction and hydrothermal carbonization—convert biomass and organic waste into biochar, a stable carbon product.
Biochar can be used for:

• Soil improvement
• Carbon sequestration
• Filtration and adsorption
• Energy production

This process supports carbon-negative applications.

Why Chemical Recycling Matters

• Reduces and remediates landfill and prevents the need for incineration of difficult waste streams
• Creates circular raw materials for industry
• Cuts carbon emissions compared to conventional disposal
• Supports energy independence through clean syngas and recovered fuels
• Enables true circularity for plastics and biomass

SophSys: Integrated Solutions for Advanced Recycling

SophSys delivers modular, scalable systems—pyrolysis units, gasifiers, and carbonization technologies—that allow organizations to transform waste into valuable resources. Our solutions help clients reduce environmental impact while creating profitable circular processes.