Prospecting and proposing a technological roadmap for the production of green polyethylene

Abstract

Over the last decades, plastic production has increased exponentially, with estimated production to reach 33 billion tons in 2050. Simultaneously, only 9% of this material is recycled, generating a huge amount of waste and causing environmental pollution. Among these, polyethylene (PE) is one of the most important existing polymers due to the wide range of applications, being obtained mainly from a non-renewable source, such as petrochemical naphtha. However, a socio-economic awareness towards sustainable development has given rise to the green PE, a bioplastic with physicochemical characteristics similar to those of fossil origin, but derived from renewable raw materials (MPs), such as sugarcane ethanol, and already commercially produced in Brazil by Braskem. Therefore, the present work provides an overview and assesses technological aspects of the bioplastics industry, emphasizing green PE. It was observed that there is a perspective that several works are moving towards the development of new routes to obtain the PE, as well as scientific relevance and commercial interest in this product. In addition, difficulties were noted due to the costs of implementing a plant in operation, and in the use of new MPs for its production, although in the short term, partnerships are still the best choice as well as investment in research and development.